Rock music came into China as a western cultural product in the context of Deng Xiaoping’s economic reform in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It got its popularity during 1990 – 1993, marked by Beijing’s largest ever-rock concert held in the Capital Gymnasium, and then it returned to underground in 1994. The revitalization of Chinese rock culture was related to the import of illegal, cut out CDs and cassettes from the west in the mid-1990s, among which was progressive rock music. Later, the proliferation of digital media such as music streaming websites and illegal online music downloads also led to the transmission of prog rock and prog metal in China. However, the progressive rock community and scenes in China remain very marginal, small and fragmented. Some of the most influential western prog rock bands include Pink Floyyd and King Cimson, representative Chinese prog rock band includes Haiqing. The paper focuses on the reception of prog rock/metal in China, including how ‘prog’ is translated and understood by Chinese fans and musicians, the meaning of producing, consuming and listening of prog rock/metal, as well as how progressiveness and musical complexity within prog rock/metal music has become significant markers for Chinese music fans and musicians to differentiate their music tastes and consumptions. This proposed paper also reflects some collected interview data from a prog rock musician in terms of the censorship of prog rock.

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Keywords: Chinese progressive rock/metal, reception of music, music fans