"Yeh Lai Hsiang", "Rose Rose I Love You" and "Shanghai Night"
are the songs that represented Shanghai in the 1930s, and they
might be made intangible cultural heritage.
These songs combine jazz and Chinese folk music as well as
Chinese operas, and are considered as a successful example of
cultural fusion. It is said that they originated from Baak Lok Moon
Pub on the Yuyuan Road in Jingan District in 1933, thus they are
called "Baak Lok Moon Music". In the prime time, Baak Lok Moon Pub
shared the same fame as Broadway and Moulin Rouge. The first jazz
band in China was also organized by Baak Lok Moon Pub.
Baak Lok Moon Music can be heard in many old Chinese films, and
they were the first pop songs in China. Several classic ones are
even popular today.
Staff members of Jingan District Archives plan to apply to the
municipal government next month for inclusion of Baak Lok Moon
Music on the city's intangible cultural heritage list.
(China Daily March 9, 2007)