My Shanghai: Liu Jian's love-hate folk rock melody

After being expelled from school and joining the army, Liu Jian decided to record his love-hate relationship with Shanghai in music and prose. Here he describes his journey

By Rebecca Kanthor 13 January, 2010

Author, singer-songwriter, and founder of folk-rock collective Shanghai East District Power, 31 year old Liu Jian was born in Henan, but has made Shanghai his home since 2001. At age 16, after being expelled from school, he joined the People's Liberation Army, serving for six years before leaving to pursue music and writing. He has published two novels, 'Rock Soldier' and 'Out of the Army,' and is recording his first CD.

Here he talks about his song “Shanghai.”

Interview by Rebecca Kanthor, photos by Mao Dou