History
Western-influenced music came to China in the 1920s, specifically through Shanghai. When the People’s Republic of China was established in 1949, the government defined pop music, specifically western pop, as decadent music. Following the massive waves of immigrants from Shanghai, the western influenced music was brought to Hong Kong. In the 1960s, Cantonese music in Hong Kong was limited to traditional Cantonese opera and comic renditions of western music.
From the 1960s, Canton pop became the trend among teenagers. People who appreciated western and Cantonese pop music will be considered fashioned or educated. In the 1970s, the rise of television and the modern industry led to the beginning of the golden age of Canton pop. Local bands started to mimic British and American music. The original soundtracks in the drama series from the free TV station were very popular in the market. Also, the type of songs from Polydor Hong Kong dominated the Cantonese music market. Television offered free entertainment to the public, which allowed Cantonese pop music to be widely spread and became a part of pop culture.
Golden Age of Canton pop
During the 1980s, the great artists, producers and record companies worked well together. Canton pop songs were used in TV dramas and movies, which led to the rise of Cantopop stars, Jacky Cheung, Lesile Cheung, Andy lau, etc. The soundtracks coming from the films such as A Better Tomorrow, Cantopop music were more well-known among the society. The remakes of songs from Britain or American bands were popular in the 1970s. This band fever transformed in the 1980s when more local bands created their original songs, with strong individuality. They also devoted themselves to writing songs in Cantonese, which were more connected to the local social status. The diversity of music types in Cantopop created a different environment for the artists and producers, and brought a group of new music lovers to the Hong Kong mainstream music industry. The ascent of four heavenly kings dominated the whole pop culture in Hong Kong, including music, fashion, TV, advertisements and movies.
– Andrei Tarkovsky