Cantopopwasoncetheleadingpopgenreofpan-Chinesepopularmusicaroundtheworld.InthispioneeringstudyofCantopopinEnglish,Yiu-WaiChushowshowtheriseofCantopopisrelatedtotheemergenceofaHongKongidentityandconsciousness.Chuchartsthefortuneofthisimportantgenreoftwentieth-centuryChinesemusicfromitshumble,lower-classoriginsinthe1950stoitsrisetoamultimillion-dollarbusinessinthemid-1990s.AsthevoiceofHongKong,Cantopophasgivengenerationsofpeopleborninthecityasenseofbelonging.Itwasonlyinthelate1990s,whentransformationsinthemusicindustry,andmoreimportantly,changesinthegeopoliticalsituationofHongKong,thatCantopopshowedsignsofdecline.Assuch,HongKongCantopop:AConciseHistoryisnotonlyabriefhistoryofCantonesepopsongs,butalsoofHongKongculture.ThebookconcludeswithachapterontheeclipseofCantopopbyMandapop(Mandarinpopularmusic),andananalysisoftherelevanceofCantopoptoHongKongpeopleintheageofadominantChina.DrawingextensivelyfromChinese-languagesources,thisworkisamostinformativeintroductiontoHongKongpopularmusicstudies.
