聽見「中國風」──華語流行音樂之論述分析2000-2010

Abstract

2000年，一個世紀的終結與新世紀的開端，全球化的腳步方興未艾，時尚圈刮起「中國熱」，電影《臥虎藏龍》延燒至西方世界，流行音樂產業的工業化生產模式應和著全球化的文化傳遞，MTV頻道在1980年代的出現使音樂自聽覺延伸至視覺。在台灣，流行音樂走過數十載，解嚴後的百花齊放和文化水平提升觸發了旺盛的創作生命力，台灣成為華語流行音樂的重要集散地；在中國大陸，1978年改革開放後的經濟蓬勃發展，帶動了人民的生活水平和消費力，廣大的市場受到全世界關注。\r\n\r\n 2000年至今，華語流行音樂出現了一種名為「中國風」的音樂類型，上述看似低度關聯的敘述可由「中國風」歌曲串起。流行音樂的本質在於爭取最大多數人的認同和消費，中國大陸無疑是各方積極爭取的市場，在「中國熱」的興頭上，與「中國」相關的主題便融入西洋流行音樂曲風當道的華語流行樂壇，而流行音樂的畫面時代隨著MV作為行銷宣傳的利器大行其道，當視覺與聽覺同等重要，與「中國」相關的歌曲主題自然少不了能辨識出「中國性（Chineseness）」的元素。職是之故，這些音樂中創造了一種「中國」的氛圍，透過歌曲的歌詞、旋律、編曲、唱腔，一磚一瓦建構了音樂裡的「中國」。\r\n\r\n 然而，「中國」作為一敏感辭彙，兩岸三地見解不一，但在文化上，根源均來自「中華文化」，在這「最大公約數」的交集中找尋創作主題和元素，成了音樂裡的「中國」所操作的手法，可辨視為「中國」的元素來自「中華文化資料庫」的取樣和拼湊，而此「中國」絕非可明確指認的對象，乃是帶有可明顯辨識出「中國性」符碼的「虛擬中國」，透過去脈絡化的元素採擷和再脈絡化的拼貼建構，築成了一幅聽覺和視覺中的「中國韻味」，是擬仿的、拼貼的文化商品，帶著若有似無的熟悉感和似曾相識的懷舊（nostalgia）。\r\n\r\n 這種音樂裡的「中國」，採用「中國風」（Chinoiserie）的稱呼，可視為由華人主張的反向挪用，在一來一往的觀看間，華人將融合了「中國味」的西洋曲風流行音樂稱作「中國風」，辭彙本身從西方的角度轉為東方的視角，在全球化的流行脈絡下，「中國風」亦成為東方力求在全球化浪潮中站穩腳步，避免自我迷失的宣稱。\r\n\r\n 本研究廣蒐2000年至2010年6月與「中國風」歌曲相關的資料，歷時近兩年，蒐集、分析、聆聽、觀察華語流行音樂的過去和現在，訪談方文山、鍾興民、林隆璇等18位來自各界的要角，盡己所能描繪過去十年「中國風」歌曲的發展面貌。\r\n\r\n 過去十年的「中國風」歌曲，在華語流行音樂雖不至稱作過去十載的標竿類型，但至少引起「一陣風潮」，歌頌者有之、看衰者有之、仿效者有之、鄙夷者有之。無論如何，「中國風」替流行音樂的視覺化聽覺時代做了註腳，「中國風」仍會繼續吹拂，拂過這個世代的每對耳朵。

In 2000, the intersection of two centuries, the globalization has been pacing merrily; “China Fever” was burning in the fashion circle; the film “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” surprised the Western world; the industrial productive methods of pop music responded to the globalized cultural transmission, and the appearance of MTV Channel in the 1980s has extended the music from auditory to vision. In Taiwan, pop music has been played for decades; the freedom in inventiveness and the aroused cultural standards after the martial law being lifted in 1987 enhanced strong vitality in creations, and Taiwan has become the major distribution center of Chinese pop music. In PRC, the booming economic development after the Chinese economic reform in 1978 has brought up populations’ living standards and consumption, and the enormous market has drawn the worldwide attention.\r\n\r\n As a new type in Chinese pop music, “Chinoiserie” has emerged since 2000, and the Chinoiserie songs could string together the above narrations that seemed to be weakly related. The essence of pop music is to strive after conformity and consumption from maximum people, and undoubtedly PRC has the market that everyone eagerly fights for. Whereas “China Fever” dominates, the themes related to “China” integrate into Chinese pop music in which Western pop music takes the lead. Moreover, seeing that vision is equally important as auditory, and the image era of pop music becomes popular with music video as the perfect tool for marketing, the song themes related to “China” would absolutely contain elements that can be identified as “Chinoiserie.” Therefore, these songs have created a “Chinese” atmosphere, a “China” in music that is constructed brick by brick through lyrics, melody, arrangement, and aria.\r\n\r\n However, “China” is a sensitive term that is considered quite differently in PRC, Hong Kong and Taiwan though the civilizing roots are all from “Chinese culture.” Seeking themes and elements for creativity in the intersections of this “Greatest Common Divisor” becomes the operating practice of “China” in music, in which the identical elements of “China” are the samplings and put-together from the “database of ancient Chinese culture.” Thus “China” here is absolutely not a clearly distinguishable object, but a “virtual China” with codes of “Chineseness” that can be obviously recognized; a “China Charm” built in auditory and vision through de-contextualized elements picking and re-contextualized collage constructing; yet a cultural merchandise of mimicry and bricolage with slightly familiar nostalgia.\r\n\r\n This “China” in music, named as “Chinoiserie,” can be considered as a reverse embezzlement claimed by Chinese. While exchanging ideas and cultures, Chinese entitle the Western style pop music merged with “Chinese taste” to be “Chinoiserie,” and thus turn the term from the Western point of view to the Eastern one. In the context of globalization, “Chinoiserie” has also become the statement that the Eastern seeks to stand firmly in the tide of globalization and to avoid losing oneself at the same time.\r\n\r\n In this study, the author broadly collected information related to “Chinoiserie” songs from 2000 to June 2010 in order to describe their developments in the past decade. In addition, the researcher has not only spent two years to collect, analysis, listen to, and observe the past and present of Chinese pop music, but also interviewed 18 key roles in different professions, including Vincent Fang, Hsing-Ming Chung, and Kevin Lin.\r\n\r\n Even though the “Chinoiserie” songs in the past decade can’t be viewed as the benchmark of the decade in Chinese pop music, at least they have caused “a vogue,” which some people praise, some are not optimistic, some imitate, and some disdain. In any case, “Chinoiserie” has made a statement for the visualized auditory era of pop music, and it would continue playing to deeply impress everyone of the time.