Exhibit shows how pop bubbled up in China

The exhibition tells of a "Coke Bottle" incident that became a landmark in Chinese pop music development. In the 1970s, only Western music was heard in pubs in Taiwan. On one night in 1976, an artist and singer, Lee Shuang-tse, mounted the stage at a college concert, with a bottle of Coca-Cola in hand. He challenged the audience, asking "do we even have a song of our own?" Then he threw the bottle at them.

Sadly, Lee Shuang-tse drowned the following year, but his question brought up heated discussion that went on for a long time and inspired many musicians in Taiwan. They kicked off an age of creativity in the island's music scene, which had a great impact on the whole community.

Pop idols from Taiwan and Hong Kong, such as Teresa Teng (1953-1995) and Leslie Cheung (1956-2003), are featured at the exhibition.

In the 1970s when Teng began to gain popularity, the Chinese mainland was experiencing political tension and was very alert to "corrupt influences" from Taiwan, such as Teng's music style. The exhibition presents her albums introduced to the mainland since the 1980s.

Cheung still has a large and active fan base in China, 10 years after he committed suicide.

"When Leslie Cheung first emerged in the Hong Kong entertainment world, after studying in Britain, he wasn't well received because his style was more Western than the audiences were used to," Momo says. "But as he became better accepted, his style became more flashy, fashionable, unisex and bold. He was really a special figure in the Chinese music scene. You can say he changed China's music and film history."

Cheung's fanatic admirers contributed some highly valuable pieces for the show, such as the only surviving copy of an out-of-print picture book. "It sells at about 9,000 yuan ($1,469) on the Internet nowadays," Momo tells China Daily.

Momo, 41, has done various jobs in the public relations and media industries, and has been a dedicated pop lover for decades.

"Pop music is everywhere, and yet no one takes it seriously," he says. "It's actually an important part of modern culture. Maybe in a thousand years, scholars will find more about our life and time from it than any other relic."