Cui Jian - Later Career

Later Career

Through the 1990s Cui Jian was banned from playing major venues in Beijing, although he was able to stage a number of one-set, word-of-mouth concerts at newly-flourishing venues like The Sunflower Club. Elsewhere in China he was permitted play to sell-out crowds in both large and small venues, only on occasion facing government interference. Cui Jian's records have also remained off-limits for broadcast on regular state-controlled radio and television stations. Satellite television was first to challenge this unofficial ban beginning with Hunan TV's 2000 broadcast of a live in-studio performance of Cui Jian and his band.

He has toured both Europe and the United States four times respectively, as well as played a number of shows in Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia. He is the only modern musical act from the PRC to have made such an impact on the global music scene, and continues to be a point of focus for international news media coverage of Chinese cultural affairs.

In 2000 Cui Jian was awarded the Dutch royal family's prestigious Prince Claus Award for positive artistic and intellectual influences on the broader culture and society.

In 2002 Cui Jian and his manager Paul Fry co-organized the Lijiang Snow Mountain Music Festival (China's Woodstock) in Lijiang, China. Cui Jian followed this with a 10 city tour in Germany and performances with Udo Lindenberg (Godfather of German Rock & Roll), performances with Deep Purple in China and a 13 city sold out tour of the United States.

Bai Qiang is working to produce a 3D concert film and documentary on Cui Jian which is expected to release September 2012 The film, Transcendence (2012 film), which evokes memories of Tiananmen Square, was screened in Beijing in May, 2012 to an enthusiastic fan audience, but its prospects for mainstream release in China are doubtful.