Beijing's comedy crackdown is hitting its music scene

The mosh pit expands and contracts with bodies crashing into one another.

What might appear violent and aggressive is actually a friendly, high-spirited celebration of music and collective enjoyment.

After years spent waiting to shake off China's Covid restrictions, there are smiles all round.

Relief. Fun. Hilarity.

A friend passes me a drink just as the human wave approaches and I get dragged in, spraying the contents of my cup over all those around me. Nobody cares. It only adds to the desired chaos. It's a hot evening and we'll all dry off quickly.

In a country where cultural events are closely monitored by the Communist Party, the underground music scene in the capital has remained energetic, real, cheeky and innovative. It's a world, for the most part, beyond the grasp of dullard officials.

A venue owner once told me about a visit he'd had from a local government representative who looked around the area at the front of the stage and asked where the tables and chairs were.