The Songs of His Era: Untangling Liu Yichang and Shidaiqu

‘I Want Your Love’, ‘You, You, You Are So Beautiful’ – sung all the way from Shanghai to Hong Kong to Southeast Asia, the “shidaiqu” (songs of the era) swept the region from the 1920s to the 1960s, becoming the most popular sound of that golden 40-year span. The relationship between shidaiqu and Hong Kong’s literary giant Liu Yichang is little known today, but while researching and editing his works, Lin Fangwei made an unexpected discovery.

In the 1950s, during his time living in Nanyang, Liu Yichang was closely connected to the getai (stage show) scene. Star performers of the day – Luo Peiyun, Zhuang Xuefang, Poon Sow Keng, Zhang Lu, Koo Mei and others – were familiar names in his everyday life. He also fell in love with the song ‘Bengawan Solo’, not only writing it into one of his novels but also adapting new lyrics for ‘Bali Island’.

As night falls, this evening of stories and songs, blending old music with old photographs, will take the audience on a journey through time, untangling the countless threads that bind Liu Yichang to the songs of his era.