Star sounds warning note on state of music industry

A year later, Liu was sent to work as a teacher in Ningxia Hui autonomous region, where he listened to and became absorbed in local folk music.

He has won numerous awards in China and has experimented with a range of music, including classical, jazz, reggae and pop.

Liu wrote and performed the theme songs for many popular Chinese TV series, including Sun in Heart for Snowing City in 1987, Asking Myself a Thousand Times, the theme song for the popular drama A Beijing Native in New York, in 1993, and Heroes' Song for the 1997 TV series Shui Hu Zhuan (The Water Margin).

He also wrote and performed Asian Mighty Winds, the official theme song for the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing, and You and Me, the theme song for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, which he performed with British singer Sarah Brightman.

It is not the first time that Liu has voiced his concerns about the music scene. In 2019, when he appeared on Hunan Satellite TV's reality show Singer, he said the pop music industry in China was in crisis and he called for domestic singer-songwriters to produce "good original music".

That year, he also said he planned to support young original Chinese singer-songwriters by donating 20 million yuan ($3.08 million) to launch the Liu Huan Original Music Foundation.

Music industry veterans, including songwriters Zhang Yadong and Gao Xiaosong, along with recording company heads such as Shen Lihui, founder and CEO of Modern Sky, which has more than 100 rock bands on its books, act as judges for an annual competition staged by the foundation. The winner receives 1 million yuan, which is used to produce songs. Liu also trains the winner in songwriting.

On Jan 11 last year, 24-year-old singer-songwriter Qin Fanqi became the first winner of the competition. This year, the contest was won by Qiu De.

"I was attracted by these two winners' creativity. Their lyrics are realistic and reflect their lives. They have something to say through their music, rather than following a trend," Liu said.