Wu Hong Fei & Happy Avenue

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Wu Hong Fei and Happy Avenue live in HK Part 2

Happy Avenue (幸福大街 in Chinese; pinyin: Xìng Fú Dà Jiē or Xìngfú Dàjiē; sometimes translated as Lucky Road) is a Chinese rock band based in Beijing, China, founded in September 1999. Members include Wú Hóngfēi (吴虹飞, vocals), Gěng Fàng (耿放, electric guitar), Lǐ Wéiyán (李维岩, electric guitar), Zhōu Qí (周琦, electric bass guitar), and Tián Kūn (田坤, drum set). Wu originally also played acoustic guitar in the group before deciding early on to focus strictly on vocals. The original bass player, Shèng (胜), was replaced by Jiǎng Róng (蒋荣) in June 2000, and Jiang was eventually replaced by Zhou.

Wu Hongfei (surname Wu, b. 1975), Happy Avenue's vocalist and leader, is a graduate of Beijing's prestigious Tsinghua University, with bachelor's degrees in environmental engineering and the editing of scientific books, and an M.A. degree in modern Chinese literature (although she primarily studied Western literature).[1] Also the group's only female member, she has the distinction of being China's best known female rock singer. Originally from Sanjiang, in the southern Chinese province of Guangxi and a member of the Dong ethnic minority, Wu is also a magazine journalist and a published novelist. Her lyrics range from lighthearted, absurdist vignettes (like "The Orange Who Wished to Be an Apple") to darker and more melancholy meditations on subjects such as death, alienation, and longing. "Daughter" deals with the issues surrounding unwed motherhood. Some other songs feature literary subject matter; "The Fish Who Loved Xiaolong" tells the story of a mermaid who gives up her tail in order that she might be able to leave the sea and marry a human.[2]
MORE on band's style of music

Wu Hong Fei and Happy Avenue live in HK Part 6

Interview: Wu Hongfei gets personal

GoKunming: You're here in Kunming and then on to Lijiang to promote your new album, which is a very personal work... where did you find the inspiration for the album's songs?

Wu Hongfei: My inspiration for Rouge comes from my life experiences, my thoughts, love secrets – even being a nanfangren [native of southern China]. In China, especially Beijing, much of the focus is on the north of the country. I felt the need to say something about south China on the album.

GK: How do you find life in Beijing, being a southern girl from a small town in Guangxi?

Wu I've been in Beijing for more than ten years now... I feel it is kind of like a lonely island – interpersonal relationships tend to be much colder than what I grew up with. I'm a southerner. I like being around lots of friends and enjoying myself. MORE

A PBS article on China's rock music scene from an American producer's perspective. Mostly men, but you can scroll down for the bit on Wu Hong Fei & Happy Avenue and an audio sample.