(From L to R) File photos of Qi Qin, Dave Wang, Stella Chang, Jeff Chang and Zhang Yusheng.

Hello and welcome to another edition of  China Beat  here on China Radio International. I'm your host, Zhong Qiu. As the Canto-pop scene flourished in the 1980s, Mando-pop in Taiwan was also moving into a new era. Despite Teresa Teng's dominance on the airwaves, many younger artists emerged and extended their creative talents. Popular names include Qi Qin, Dave Wong, Wang Jie, Jeff Chang, Stella Chang and pop bands like Little Tigers, Xiao Hu Dui. At the same time, pop music and artists from Taiwan were growing more familiar to the mainland audience as cross-Straits exchanges became easier and more frequent. On today's China Beat, we'll continue to look back at the development of Chinese pop music over the past thirty years, so don't go away.

(Wolf)

Qi Qin started his formal career in 1981 with the album See Her Slip Away Again. From there, his popularity grew. His smash hit "Wolf" in 1985 helped raise his profile in Taiwan and on the mainland. With this album, Qi Qin's melancholy vocals, bold dress and lifestyle made a lasting impression on young people at the time.

(Wolf)

At almost the same time, another morose crooner appeared on the Mando-pop scene. He is Dave Wong. In 1987, Wong shot to the top of the Taiwan music charts with his debut album, A Game, A Dream, which sold over 500,000 copies. This hit album also found great success in Hong Kong during the late 1980s, making Dave Wong one of the few artists from Taiwan to break into the Hong Kong market, with four years of chart-topping record sales. A Game, A Dream, also helped Dave Wong make his name among pop lovers on the mainland.

(A Game, A Dream)

Out of the 80's male pop crooners, Qi Qin's music was rock-leaning with unyielding expressions about the darker side of society, while Dave Wong's music can be described as a haunting blend of rock and ballads. It was Jeff Chang, or Zhang Xinzhe, who touched the Mando-pop scene with his pure love ballads, and thus Chang is known as the "Prince of Love Ballads" in the Chinese pop world.

(We Are In Love of Wrong)

Famous for sentimental love songs, Jeff Chang delivers with feeling and has charmed fans in Chinese communities all over the world. Since the release of his debut album in 1989, he has produced numerous tunes that touched thousands of fans. One suggestion is that, if you are in love, have ever been in love or are simply fascinated by sentimental melodies, you should listen to Jeff. Here is one of Jeff Chang's early hits, We Are In Love of Wrong.

(We Are In Love of Wrong)

In mid-1980s, a TV series about Taiwan pop music was broadcasted on the mainland. "Music From Taiwan" introduced established pop singers and songwriters and popular Mando-pop hits. Among the female singers who appeared on the show, Stella Chang, or Zhang Qingfang, stood out for her crisp voice and the intensity of emotions expressed in her songs. Now let's revisit one of Stella Chang's classic songs, Getting Married, which also featured the boy duet, Ukulele.

(Getting Married)

With the TV series, Music From Taiwan, audience of mainland also got to know a talented singer-songwriter, Tom Chang, Zhang Yusheng and his invigorating song "My Future Is Not a Dream." With this hit, Chang moved thousands of pop lovers with the inspiring lyrics, as well as his persistence in pursuing his own music dreams. Sometimes life gets harsh, but one should always stay optimistic, as Chang advised in "My Future is Not a Dream."

(My Future Is Not a Dream)

In the late 1980s, the pop industry in Taiwan created its first teenage idol band, the Little Tigers, Xiao Hu Dui. This boy trio was made up with Nicky Wu, Alec Su, and Julian Chen. With their youth pop and dance moves, the Little Tigers achieved enormous popularity, becoming pop idols in the Chinese pop scene. The band's success also inspired the next generation of Taiwan pop acts, leading to the creation of other boy bands. To wrap up today's show, we will play one of the smash hits of the Little Tigers, Leisurely Cruising. This is Zhong Qiu, bye for now.