The pirates are dying: Long live music

"The heat, the huge crowd and the sheer noise of the music were overwhelming," Su says. "I had never experienced anything like it. I just wanted to scream. I didn't want to miss Zhao Lei's performances.

Almost 10 hours after Su's day began she finally squeezed in among the crowds just as Zhao was about to start performing one of his most popular songs, Chengdu.

"As I watched him play the guitar and sing that song, I knew all the hassle in getting to the festival had been well worth it," Su says. "I had been to a few of his shows in Beijing and Jinan, but it is completely different to watch him perform at a music festival, where you've got tens of thousands of people sharing music together."

More than 150,000 music lovers-attended the Strawberry Music Festival, which took place in both Beijing and Shanghai over the May Day holiday weekend, Modern Sky says.

Neither traffic headaches nor rain seemed to be able to dampen the enthusiasm of the music lovers, who descended on both cities from around the country. The Beijing event included popular domestic pop stars such as the singer-songwriters Pu Shu and Li Zhi, as well as international musicians making their debut performances in China, including the British indie rock band Alt-J and the Japanese group Wednesday Campanella.