INTERVIEW : LONG SHEN DAO
Interview by : Benjamin Leboyer
Pictures by : DR
on Friday, April 26th 2013 - 9 018 views
With its billion and a half inhabitants, China is a country that fascinates. A rich history of 5,000 years, 80 ethnic groups living together, blending into the mass or rebelling. An opaque political regime, unprecedented economic development, extraordinary but threatened natural resources… and a reggae scene that is waking up.
Our stay in Beijing begins just as the Chinese New Year festivities kick off the year of the snake. There we meet Guo Jian, singer and bassist of the band Long Shen Dao. Their first album, released in 2011, has already earned them several awards. Interview.
Reggaefrance / What is the story of Long Shen Dao? How did the band form?
Long Shen Dao / There are six of us; I am on vocals and bass, and I also write most of the lyrics. Niu Mu is on rhythm guitar and is also our toaster, the lead guitarist is Gao Xu, the keyboard player is Zang Hong Fei and our drummer is called Gao Fei. We also have a guest musician on several tracks, Gu Zheng. We met about ten years ago and we all played in different bands before making music together. At the time, you couldn't find a reggae band in Beijing, so you could say we are the pioneers of the movement in China.
What does Long Shen Dao mean?
We decided to call ourselves that because of the three powerful symbols "Long", "Shen" and "Dao" and what they mean separately. "Long" is the dragon, and represents China. Dragons are resilient, and it is an artistic image in Chinese culture. "Shen" means spirit, and it is the heart of our name. "Dao" is the road or the steps, and it is connected to Taoism, a spiritual symbol for us. In the yin-yang, the "dao" is the line that separates white from black, or rather that forms a bridge between the two. We hope our music can form a bridge between East and West, a blend of our two cultures, our two worlds that are very different.
How did you come to reggae?
We found that the spirit of this music was the right path to develop our musicality and our creativity. We were all more into rock before, but we find that reggae sounds better and is more powerful. The most important thing is the closeness to traditional Chinese culture, which is very respectful of nature and of the free spirit. Of spirituality and love too... For us, it makes sense.
 La Chine est un sol fertile pour la créativité des artistes 
How is reggae received here?
It isn't easy to play here! We know an American who has lived here for a few years. This guy started playing reggae in his bar in Beijing in 2003, and he is one of those who introduced this music here. After about ten years of broadcasting, promoting and developing reggae, he finds it really difficult. People aren't very familiar with this musical style, and it seems strange to them. They know rock, pop and hip-hop, but reggae hasn't really broken through yet. Bands like ours have that responsibility; we have to keep going to make people understand the scope of this music, and get a message across, gently but surely... And that's what is happening: when we started, our gigs were very small, but now the younger generation is turning up in greater and greater numbers. We are invited to bigger festivals and we are winning awards (a Midi Music Award for their first album, and a China Music Media Award for best single, ed.). We follow our path and press on at all costs!
Do you play live often?
We play regularly at several festivals across China. And every quarter since 2008, we have organised the "Big Reggae Party" in Beijing, where we invite other bands to come on stage and DJs for the night. We also do corporate events for Chinese holidays or during the vacations. The venues suit it well and the audience turns up. At the beginning of 2012, we toured New Zealand and played several festivals; this year we plan to go to Canada, Korea and also to a few European stages, and we are well on our way to getting to Holland! Our goal is to be able to travel and to make our music travel; we would love to go to places with sun, beaches, rum and something to warm the spirit! That is what could make a lovely destination for a next tour!
Jamaica, for example?
Definitely, I would love to travel there! To get to know and understand the place and the people who created the music I love to play. What interests me is the source, the roots. Of course, I have seen documentaries about the island, about Marley, who obviously made a very strong impression on me... I am also interested in his sons Damian and Ziggy. Otherwise, I was lucky enough to see Third World in Toronto last year, it was extraordinary, what a force! What musical power! I became a big fan!
Let us come back to Long Shen Dao: how do you write? What are your lyrics about?
My lyrics are only in Chinese but they are translated into English in the sleeve of the record. There are tracks about freedom, about love, others about life in general, about relationships between people. Some talk about the philosophy of our country and about religions like Buddhism or Taoism. It's quite varied, it depends on social issues and on inspiration, of course!
What is your vision of China? How are things going here?
We live in a complex country and it is hard to speak about it clearly. China has great qualities, a rich history for example, especially in its culture and philosophy. Because we come from a place with such a culturally significant past, it influences a lot of artists in their work. For these reasons, I am proud to be Chinese. But the modern version of the country has many problems. As we develop economically, we have serious environmental concerns and the general attitude of the population has changed, becoming more individualistic for example. Regarding politics, human rights and the system in place, the people have different feelings here, in their hearts, compared with the way Westerners think. The problems we went through in the last century left a deep mark on our collective thinking, including the one-child policy for example. But it is a constant flow with each new generation. China is truly a country very different from the others, and there are many contradictions we can talk about. It is fertile ground for the creativity of artists.
The Heart Guides The Way (Clip)
Embrace (Live)
Wrap You Up (audio)
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