Introduction to Chengdu’s Subcultural Background 1:
In the context of a highly structured and utilitarian modern Chinese society, Chengdu has emerged as a unique breeding ground for subcultures. Young people here are “gently rebelling” against mainstream lifestyles in their own way. Rather than revolutionary resistance, the youth in Chengdu opt to escape the standardized life path through rave parties or spiritual practices like prayer. They choose not to “struggle” or “burn out,” but instead pursue a state of “relaxation” and “freedom” — forming an Eastern logic of subcultural rebellion.
Chengdu: The New Sanctuary of Rebellion
• There is an old saying: “The young should not go to Sichuan, the old should not leave,” implying that the laid-back lifestyle of Sichuan is not conducive to youth striving.
• But now, young people are actively flocking to Chengdu precisely to escape the mainstream Chinese definitions of “success.”
• Chengdu, a city of 16 million, is described as being filled with vibrant youth subcultures — from hip-hop and electronic music to Hanfu enthusiasts.
• According to Oxford Economics, by 2030, young people in Chengdu are expected to spend over $9 billion USD annually on clothing — approaching the level of cities like Melbourne and Miami.
Electronic Music and Underground Culture: The Story of TAG Club
• Reports spotlight TAG, an electronic music club in Chengdu that was shut down twice by the government. Its owner, Ellen Zhang, once engraved music onto USB drives and gifted them to officials in a bid for understanding and support.
• While the government is “tolerant,” it does not fully “approve.” This tension has actually fueled the underground scene in Chengdu.
• TAG has become a freer and safer space where people dance, connect, and momentarily escape daily stress in a relaxed way.
Introduction to Chengdu’s Subcultural Background 2:
Club culture based on dance music is another notable subcultural phenomenon.
As a heterogeneous space on the social margins, today’s clubs have gone beyond their traditional function of simply providing a place for revelry, evolving into new business models of multicultural fusion.
In 1992, the first disco plaza, Club-M-TOWN, marked the beginning of Chengdu’s commercial club culture. At that time, the general public had almost no concept of what a club was.
The Poly Center represents a new phase in Chengdu’s club culture. Previously scattered around the city, clubs gathered in one building, creating a spectacular scene of nightlife. HWG was the first club in the Poly Center, open to various music genres. Other key venues included TAG, which focused on Berlin-style four-on-the-floor long sets, and NASA, which attracted a younger crowd steeped in trend culture.
Due to policy reasons, the Poly Center shut down in July 2017. However, these clubs — now with strong fanbases — found new venues around Chengdu. The club scene peaked again in 2018 with new locations like NOX, UNDERPRESS, and SPACE in the 339 TV Tower area; 6M in the R&F Tianhui Center; as well as community-driven venues like Yard Culture Creative Park, and music-promotion-focused spaces like NuSpace and Fanmu Cultural and Creative Park.
Chengdu’s club culture evolved from single-purpose dance venues to creative complexes blending music, cuisine, bars, bookstores, cafés, design, art, crafts, and secondhand markets. From small industrial-style spaces to large futuristic ones, the scene welcomes white-collar workers, artists, musicians, vegetarians, students, designers — as well as the unemployed, poets, gay/lesbian individuals, and drag performers. Undoubtedly, Chengdu has become a cultural hub for clubbing in China.
“Yi Tong” Cultural Space
• “Yi Tong” combines record sales, coffee, and drinks on one side, while on the other, the Chengdu Community Radio (cdcr.live) broadcasts live shows.
• Since its founding in 2019, cdcr.live has hosted weekly live streams, ranging from early DJ and hardware performances to today’s talk shows and music events.
• The platform aims to broadcast Chengdu’s local music culture to the world.
Chengdu Subcultural Fashion Scene:
Rappers and artists in Chengdu have become not only music icons but also pioneers in fashion. Their avant-garde and bold styles challenge traditional norms, reflecting the region’s spirit of innovation.
In Chengdu, the LGBTQ community’s embrace of diversity and inclusion goes beyond a social movement — it has become a powerful force driving the local fashion scene.
Chengdu’s fashion-savvy audience displays a strong preference for bold and subversive designs. Their sharp aesthetic stands out in China’s fashion consumption market.
Hip-Hop Culture in Chengdu and Chongqing:
As the cultural dual-core of Southwest China, Chengdu and Chongqing have developed a distinctive hip-hop culture. The region is home to leading Chinese rappers like GAI, Bridge, and PSY.P.
Chinese hip-hop, while influenced by the West, features a unique local narrative paradigm:
• It substitutes direct criticism with subtle social commentary.
• It fuses youth subcultures, personal struggles, and traditional codes of brotherhood.
This kind of dialectal cultural coding has deeply reshaped Chinese fashion aesthetics, inspiring a visual language rooted in underground spirit and regional identity.
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