No cops, music, pogo, dye your hair, be yourself.

On the topic of rock music in Beijing, next week (May 1 to 5) is the Midi Festival, China's biggest annual rock show. It's well worth attending if you're in the capital.

Below are some quotes from the festival organizer Zhang Fan. These quotes are from a blog called Holidarity (use this link in China) which is written by the pseudonymous Friend Gram, who appears to be a journalist who knows his — or perhaps her — way around the Beijing rock scene:

On why goverment rules and red tape limiting advertising and promotion don't present much of a setback:
"If we don't do any promotion, the day it opens, we'll still have 10,000 people show up."

On problems/ things he's had to explain - to the police:
"What I hate most is when there is a line of Public Security Bureau officers standing in front of the stage."

"...The police are afraid that if people stand up and drink some beer, something terrible will happen."

"...I explained to them that people who take ecstasy need more music than just a 45-minute rock set, otherwise they get uncomfortable."

[The festival provides its own security, and they wear t-shirts.]

On band selection:
"We never invite old rock bands because we want new energy."

"60-80% of the bands will be different from last year."

"A lot of the foreign bands are coming as a result of sponsorship and cooperation with foreign diplomatic offices."

On the 10,000+ expected attendees:
"Fifty percent of them aren't necessarily coming for the music. They're just coming to have fun, but that's also bringing them in."

On the festival's goals:
"Before you could never do a big outdoor festival. We're trying to let the government accept that rock 'n' roll is not dangerous."

What's the difference between Midi and Snow Mountain and other festivals?
"The biggest difference is that at the beginning we didn't have any money, while they had big sponsorships. But the [Midi School of Music] had equipment, so that was free, and we used the campus. So we didn't have any pressure. We could grow gradually."

On the Midi spirit:
"No cops, music, pogo, dye your hair, be yourself."