Music Promoter Tong Tong on Adding Some Zing to the Beijing Scene

If you’ve gone to a show in the past few months, chances are you’ve been to one put together by ZING. The promotion team headed by Tong Lu aka TongTong, a down and out rock and roll lover who cut his teeth at School Bar over the past decade, debuted with a doozy of a showcase at Omni Space over the May holiday (graced by headliners like Hedgehog and Penicillin, two bands whose street cred sky-rocketed over the summer) and since then it’s been off to the races.

Wrangling a vast swath of acts, both seasoned and wet behind the ears, across a smorgasbord of genres, ZING has been strategically penetrating the live music scene here in Beijing, leaving their mark on just about every venue in town. Soon enough, they were spotted showcasing mammoth lineups across the country, from feverish indie rock meet-ups in Shanghai to reggae ska jams down in Kunming. Just this past month, they’ve managed to put together over twenty gigs in ten cities. Clearly, their tentacles run deep. But none of that would have mattered unless ZING brought the goods. And believe us, they bring the goods, with a bit of something for all musical tastes and a keen ability to tap into the zeitgeist of the moment.

If you’re looking to see what ZING is up to, head over to their account (WeChat ID: ZINGchangpai) and have a gander. And if you’re itching to get in a few more gigs before the boys uptown have their powwow, you’re in luck: on Wednesday, Sep 25 they’ll host some of the metalcore scene’s finest and then on Saturday, Sep 28 they’ll be presenting the new generation of punks — both at Mao Livehouse. We had a quick chat with Tong Tong on how he immersed himself in the scene, what cities are showing the most spunk, and tips are putting together a killer gig. 

What’s your background? How did you get involved in the music scene?
I’m from Beijing and am the head owner of D.O.G (another label that got its start in the rock and roll chaos of School Bar) and ZING. I grew up loving punk and when I was a student, I always liked going to D22 to watch Joyside and bands like that. After a while, I had become good friends with many of the bands and in 2010, I started to put together my own performances, which gradually became a job. I haven’t looked back since. 

How did ZING begin? What was the goal behind it? 
ZING is my newest project; we only just started in 2019. It belongs to the food supplier conglomerate Kinghey (Ed's note: they’re China’s number one pork dealer). After I successfully held my first performance in Beijing (at Omni Space), my boss decided to give me more power and I quickly found myself putting together more and more interesting and different performances.

Our main goal is to help more artists to develop and perform in different surroundings, and of course, to get more young people to indulge in live music – rock 'n' roll til we die! 

You don’t only cover Beijing but other cities in China – how does the music scene compare in other cities?  
I think the music scene in southern cities is really getting exciting again, especially in Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Nanjing. No matter what style of music you play, young people will come to the shows, most of them around 20 years old.

What’s the secret to a successful show in your opinion?
Spend money! But really this is one of the best ways – to spend a lot of money inviting great artists to perform. That being said, content planning and engaging your audience is also important. We prefer to do lineups that have a unique feel to them, like putting together bands they have never played together.

Do you think that it’s easier today, with the internet and WeChat groups, to put together a winning lineup? When you put together a show where do you usually start? On a band? Or on a theme? 
Of course, I usually build a lineup just by using Wechat. It’s incredibly convenient to do it that way. More often, I think of a theme first and from there, see how that theme suits varying combinations of bands. 

What’s one of the most fun things about being a promoter? And the worst?
The best part about it is that you can put together countless shows with your favorite bands and watch it all for free. The worst part is drinking too much and getting completely f**ked at the end of every gig! 

Never miss a gig: click here for a huge list of live shows in the city, updated daily

Photos courtesy of Tong Lu