Finish the Song of Youth 1990-1999:Images of China’s Rock‘n Roll And a Cultural Community

In Europe and America， photos of rock musicians have always been an important part of building the rock ‘n roll culture. Things are different in China， however， where some of them are monotonous with actor-like snapshots but little information.

This year， photographer Gao Yuan saw her book Finish the Song of Youth published， bringing readers closer to and looking straight ahead at this community in the 1990s.

China’s rock ‘n roll enjoyed a golden decade from the 1990s to the early years of the 21st Century. The special historical background gave birth to a genre of music highlighted by “anxiety about social reality and personal inner-centeredness as well as attempt to find an outlet and a way of expression” for a young generation.

Gao Yuan， the author， worked as a photographer and had a lot of friends in the rock‘n roll community. Her close contact with the musicians provided her the opportunity to take photos， exclusively， with subjects covering almost all landmark events and key figures of that era.

Her book rocked the world of Chinese music with rousing recommendations from more than 20 artists， exhibitions and panel discussions all of which lasted for over six months in five cities.

Gao has framed a decade of China’s rock ‘n roll， depicting her own life and that of her rock friends at that time. She recounts the stories， which are not limited to big events， in sequence. The photos， meticulously selected from tens of thousands of negatives， are all printed in black and white. The photos are of musicians， artists， and， above all， her friends， including over 20 artists who played key roles in the development of rock music in China.

“Your photos are not good enough because you are not close enough to the scene，” master photographer Robert Capa （1913-1954） had once observed. A peer of Gao Yuan， unimpressed by her work， said， “Why do so many believe you are great？ I would have done the same if I were in your boots.” “Absolutely！”retorted Gao. “That’s why I’m great， because I was close to the scene.”

She was so close to the musicians， close enough to enjoy every one of their performances， hear their heartbeats， and feel their passion， decadence， and fatigue.

Even someone， who is not a rock ‘n roll fan， can get a sense of that era through her photos. Every reader can find something in it： either in terms of photography， music， and the social situation， or the rekindled memories of their own youth.