Clcik 15, a funk rock band, has captivated the audience with their song, Get Funky, at the reality show, The Big Band.[Photo provided to China Daily]

"This song is even older than some of the people who are watching the show," the bassist Ou says in the show. "Witnessing the evolution of Chinese rock music is a fascinating experience. We are proud that we are part of it as The Face."

Western rock music first gained popularity in China in the 1980s with a performance given by the rock singer-songwriter Cui Jian on May 9, 1986, during a concert at Beijing Workers' Stadium. At the packed venue, the then 25-year-old Cui performed his most well-known song, Nothing to My Name, which opened a chapter in China's rock music story at a time when few Chinese knew what rock 'n' roll was.

The song also marked the start of a journey that would later make Cui China's godfather of rock 'n' roll. It also ushered in a golden era of original Chinese rock bands influenced by the Western music genre and expressing themselves in their mother tongue. The first rock bands included the heavy metal band Tang Dynasty, founded in 1988, the pop-rock band Black Panther, formed in 1987, and The Face.

"Material possessions like big houses and fast cars were the last things on our mind," Ou says. "Instead, we were hungry for rock music and found any possible way to get the latest music from Western bands. Compared with young bands today, we had few opportunities to perform onstage because the audiences were smaller and there were few live house venues. But we were very happy because we truly loved the music."