Zhou Yunpeng

Zhou Yunpeng (Chinese: 周云蓬; born 15 December 1970) is a Chinese blind independent folk singer, songwriter, and poet. Renowned for his poignant lyrics that often reflect social realities, he has released several studio albums and undertaken charitable projects benefiting visually impaired children.

Zhou Yunpeng was born in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, in December 1970. He lost his sight at the age of nine due to an eye disease and subsequently attended a school for the visually impaired. Demonstrating academic aptitude, he enrolled in Changchun University’s Chinese Language program and graduated in 1994.^[1]

Zhou learned to play guitar at 15, attended university at 19, and started poem writing at 21.^[2] In 1995, shortly after completing his university studies, Zhou moved to Beijing and began performing folk songs as a street musician at the Old Summer Palace scenic area. Over the following years he traveled extensively across China, composing poetry and songwriting that explore themes of personal struggle, social injustice and the experiences of marginalized communities.^[1] Around 1998 he co-founded a independent poetry zine The Low Shore (低岸,Di’an) with some artist friends he met at the Old Summer Palace artist village.^[3] In 2002 published his first poetry collection, Spring’s Rebuke (春天责备).

Zhou’s debut album, Silent as a Mysterious Breath (沉默如谜的呼吸), was released in 2003 by Modern Sky Records (摩登天空). His second album, China’s Children (中国孩子), was self-funded and issued in April 2007, featuring songs that juxtapose his life experience as a blind artist with broader social observations; it was limited to 3,000 copies and featured cover art by his partner, Yu Xiaoya.^[4]

The album's title track "China's Children" alludes to several incidents involving the death of young children and students across the country, the most well known one being the Karamay fire in 1994. The lyrics read: "Don't be the children of the Chinese, their fathers and mothers are coward. To prove their cold-heartedness, while Death was drawing near, they arranged the officials to evacuate first."^[5] The song was recorded in the basement of Xiaohe (小河), a folk singer-songwriter and music producer. In addition to the guitar solo by Zhou Yunpeng, Xiaohe added a double bass track and a humming chorus performed by pre-school kids.^[5] In 2007, Zhou started a solo performing tour across the country, with 40 shows at stops including Kunming, Guiyang, Changsha, Wuhan, Chongqing, Chengdu, and Shanghai, and many other cities. 2000 copies of China’s Children were sold at the concerts.^[5] At a 2017 interview, Zhou said that he had not been performing "China's Children" in mainland China for a while, as the song did not pass official screening.^[3]The song's critical voice led some to label Zhou as a “protest singer” or “dissident singer,” a characterization he rejected. He explained that only a couple of his songs contain dissident elements, while the majority are restrained and composed. At most, he said, his songs are melancholy, reflecting his own life experiences.^[6] Zhou also held that folk singers are not social critics, and the essence of folksong is to portray ordinary life with compassion and honesty.^[7]

Subsequent releases include Stir-Fried Bitter Melon (清炒苦瓜, 2008), Cattle Descend the Mountain (牛羊下山, 2010) and April in Old County (四月旧州, 2014).

In 2009, Zhou initiated the “Red Bulldozer” (红色推土机) project to support impoverished blind children. He invited more than thirty mainland folk singers to record an eponymous charity album of nursery rhymes and children’s songs. The album was released on 10 April 2009, with proceeds directed toward educational and welfare programs for visually impaired youth.

• Nominated for Best Folk Artist at the 5th Chinese Music Media Awards (2005).
• Won Best Folk Artist and Best Lyricist at the 8th Chinese Music Media Awards (2007).

Studio albums

• Silent as a Mysterious Breath (沉默如谜的呼吸), 2004
• China’s Children (中国孩子), 2007
• Stir-Fried Bitter Melon (清炒苦瓜), 2008
• Cattle Descend the Mountain (牛羊下山), 2010
• April in Old County (四月旧州), 2014

Compilations and collaborations

• Red Bulldozer (红色推土机), 2009 (charity compilation)
• Golden Bulldozer (金色推土机), 2012
• Voice of Freedom: Contemporary Folk Compilation (自由之声–当代民谣合辑)

• The Cow and the Goat Descend the Mountain: Fighting Modernity with Poems