The Bright Moon Song and Dance Troupe (Chinese: 明月歌舞团; pinyin: Míngyuè Gēwǔtuán) was a group founded by

Li Jinhui Li Jinhui (; 5 September 1891 – 15 February 1967 although some sources suggest he died 1968) was a Chinese composer and songwriter born in Xiangtan, Hunan, Qing China. He is often dubbed as the "Father of Chinese popular music".Aigomusic.A ...

from the late 1920s through the 1930s. It is also translated as Bright Moonlight Song and Dance Troupe.

Background

During the

Chinese popular music C-pop is an abbreviation for Chinese popular music (), a loosely defined musical genre by artists originating from mainland China,Hong Kong and Taiwan (the Greater China region). This also includes countries where Chinese languages are used by ...

boom era in the early 1930s,

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

had a large number of

troupe Troupe may refer to: General *Comedy troupe, a group of comedians *Dance troupe, a group of dancers **Fire troupe, a group of fire dancers *Troupe system, a method of playing role-playing games *Theatrical troupe, a group of theatrical performers ...

s, or music groups, competing for radio broadcasts and other entertainment slots. These groups were composed mostly of

sing-song girls Sing-song girls (), also known as flower girls, is an English term for the courtesans in China during the 19th century AD. Origin Before the founding of modern China in 1911, concubinage was legal. In Chinese custom, males carry the family name an ...

Recognition

The troupe merged with

Lianhua Film Company The United Photoplay Service Company () was one of the three dominant production companies based in Shanghai, China during the 1930s, the other two being the Mingxing Film Company and the Tianyi Film Company, the forerunner of the Hong Kong-based ...

in 1931 as the first Chinese popular music group of any sort to become part of the

movie industry The film industry or motion picture industry comprises the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking, i.e., film production companies, film studios, cinematography, animation, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post pr ...

. The company would later prove to be instrumental in the rise of the first generation of

shidaiqu Shidaiqu () is a type of Chinese popular music that is a fusion of Chinese folk, American jazz and Hollywood film music that originated in Shanghai, China in the 1920s.Shoesmith, Brian. Rossiter, Ned. 004(2004). Refashioning Pop Music in Asia ...

music.Jones. Andrew F. 001(2001). Yellow Music - CL: Media Culture and Colonial Modernity in the Chinese Jazz Age. Duke University Press.

Famous Members

Zhou Xuan Zhou Xuan (; born Su Pu (); August 1, 1920 – September 22, 1957), also romanized as Chow Hsuan, was an iconic Chinese singer and film actress. By the 1940s, she had become one of China's Seven Great Singing Stars. She was the best known o ...

Wang Renmei Wang Renmei (; December 1914 – 2 April 1987) was a famous Chinese actress and singer nicknamed the "Wildcat of Shanghai". She was mainly active during the 1930s, and her most notable film was the 1934 ''Song of the Fishermen'' (available onli ...

Nie Er Nie Er (14 February 1912 – 17 July 1935), born Nie Shouxin, courtesy name Ziyi (子義 or 子藝), was a Chinese composer best known for "March of the Volunteers", the national anthem of People's Republic of China. In numerous Shanghai magaz ...

Bai Hong Bai Hong (, 24 February 1920 – 28 May 1992) was a Chinese actress and singer born Bai Lizhu () in Beijing. By the 1940s, she became one of the Seven Great Singing Stars.Baidu.Baidu" ''Bai Hong.'' Retrieved on 28 April 2007. Biography At age 1 ...

Li Lili Li Lili (; 2 June 1915 – 7 August 2005) was a Chinese film actress and singer. Her films '' Playthings'', '' The Great Road'' and ''Storm on the Border'' were blockbusters of the 1930s and 1940s.Elaine DuanTop 10 legendary Chinese women in th ...

* Li Minghui * Xu Lai * Xue Lingxian

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bright Moonlight Song And Dance Troupe Dance companies in China Culture in Shanghai Musical groups from Shanghai

Background

Recognition

Famous Members

See also

References