Pop music festival ignites Taizhou's summer nights

The Sanshui Ballad · 2025 Pop Music Festival was held in Taizhou, Jiangsu. [Photo/Taizhou Daily]

The north square of People's Park in downtown Taizhou was ablaze with lights and pulsing with sound on the evening of Aug 4, as the Sanshui Ballad · 2025 Pop Music Festival brought a wave of midsummer excitement to the city. More than 1,000 people gathered to enjoy an electrifying night of music.

At 7:30 pm, the stage lights flared to life, neon beams cutting through the darkness as local Taizhou bands took turns performing. Super M opened with a heartfelt rendition of Greenhouse Girl, its powerful drumming and soaring vocals instantly igniting the crowd.

Familiar hits soon followed, with visitors singing along en masse. The Fuwang Band brought high-energy pop rock that had the audience waving their arms and dancing, while the Xunlu Band offered a soothing touch with their folk-inspired melodies.

Original works infused with Taizhou's local character became the soul of the show. Super M guided listeners on a free-spirited musical journey with Sanshui Ballad, inspired by the legend of a girl named Fenghuang who gave her life while gathering medicinal herbs to save others. "We hope this beautiful legend and fearless spirit will be passed down for generations," said 58-year-old singer-songwriter Fan Hongwei, a former high school English teacher who formed a band with professional musicians after retiring, creating six original songs in just two months.

For 22-year-old guitarist Cheng Qiangyi from Chifeng, Inner Mongolia who is now studying electric guitar at Nanjing Normal University Taizhou College, music is both a source of joy and strength.

"By building the local music brand, we're giving Taizhou musicians a stage to showcase their talent and inspire creativity, while strengthening citizens' sense of cultural identity and belonging," said event director Yin Biqing. "It's a way to highlight the city's vitality and charm."