And with most struggling to achieve true commercial success, the Beijing rock scene remains less competitive than its western counterparts.

BBC: Rocking out in Beijing

Dark and dingy in the true tradition of an alternative rock club, D-22 has become the focal point of the Beijing rock scene.

BBC: Rocking out in Beijing

It was only when foreigners started arriving in Beijing to study and work in the 1980s that a Chinese rock scene began to emerge.

BBC: Rocking out in Beijing