On stage and behind the rock scene

Chai Dongxin at his solo exhibition, The Adolescence of an Era - Chai Dongxin & Surface, at 798 art district's Bloom Gallery. Zou Hong / China Daily

Chai Dongxin's rise to prominence as a rock 'n' roll photographer seems to have been inevitable.

His fiery passion was ignited by the first rock show he encountered - a Spring Festival Eve radio program he heard at age 16. Chai was particularly struck by Zhang Chu's Sister - a classic folk tune that was a phenomenon in the early 1990s.

He was captivated by its catchy melody and emotive lyricism, and began devouring all the information he could about Zhang and other Chinese rockers. "That's when the obsession started," the 37-year-old says.

"It felt as if I'd lived in vain until I found it."

That passion grew into a career that is on display at Chai's first solo exhibition, The Adolescence of an Era - Chai Dongxin & Surface, on show at 798 art district's new Bloom Gallery.

Chai's infatuation with rock led him from Tianjin municipality to Beijing in 1999. He planned to land a job in advertising and immerse himself in the capital's vibrant cultural life.

"I brought three rock albums with me when I left home," Chai recalls.

"I felt full of energy while listening to them."

He didn't have enough money to rent a place downtown and wound up in eastern Beijing's Tongzhou - a community on the fringe both geographically and socially, in that the neighborhood on the edge of town has long remained a hub for low-income alternative types.

There, Chai quickly made friends with peers - poor artists with rich rock dreams. They subsisted on cheap noodles and mutton cubes they roasted on the roadside.

One of Chai's pictures features punk-rock outfit Reflector's guitarist Li Peng, with his two children.

He finally found a job with an international advertisement company and a stable life.

It became his routine to watch friends' performances at live houses and bars. He snapped photos of them for fun and posted them online to growing acclaim.

He became a full-time photographer for annual outdoor music events, such as the Midi Music and Strawberry Music festivals, which attract crowds of about 100,000. Record labels began inviting him to shoot bands' promotional photos and album covers.

But Chai says he doesn't consider himself a photographer. "I'd say I'm more like a reporter with a camera," he says.

His ongoing solo show has been a year in the making, during which time he selected about 100 images from thousands he has taken in the past half decade. In addition to publicity and performance shots, there are also candid offstage moments captured in the displayed works.

Hundreds of people attended the opening day, including nearly all the stars whose images are displayed.

"I'm talkative, but that day I was too nervous to say anything," Chai says.

"Nearly all of those friends came, and it was like a big reunion."

The otherwise publicity-shy Zhang, whose song Sister first inspired Chai, showed up, too. "I always live in my own world, but today I see others who are just like me," Zhang says.

Chai calls the exhibition "new music" because it features genres, such as electronic, hip-hop and reggae.

"These musicians are all contributing to the development of new genres in China," he says.

"They are devoting their youths and even their entire lives to it."

Chai is a "witness to these stars' rise", he says. "There are many ways to know about rock musicians," he says.

"You can listen to their songs or watch their shows. Another way is to view photographs. I believe viewers can see a different side of those musicians this way."

Chai says the display dispels stereotypes. "People have this image of rockers as angry, unhappy and unhealthy," he says.

He points to his experiences with friends who have become big names, such as Miserable Faith, Twisted Machine, Second Hand Roses and Brain Failure, as proof this outlook is wrong.

"I knew them when they were nobodies and know what they've gone through to realize their dreams," he says.

One group of exhibited photos, entitled Rock Dad, captures the time these musicians spend with their children. They include images of folk musician Wan Xiaoli with his daughter, and punk-rock outfit Reflector's guitarist Li Peng with his two children.

Chai says these photos get the most attention, because they show a rarely seen side of the subjects.

"In real life, they are just like any other father," Chai says. "They take care of and spend time with their children."

He says he doesn't have as much time to attend shows since he became his ad company's executive director.

But he often has dinner with his old friends and documents the stories behind his photos.

"A lot of photography of music today is about looks, style and the celebrity image," he says.

"But I'm not manufacturing an image. I'm trying to show who that person is."

China Daily

(China Daily 06/18/2011 page11)