'China's Woodstock' raises profile of rock

Now, more than 100 music festivals are held nationwide every year, offering rock bands more opportunities to perform. The younger generation of music lovers is more open to different styles and can also afford to travel overseas to attend performances.

Shan said:"The rock music scene is getting better and more diverse. The Midi Music Festival is not only the oldest in China, but also injects new blood by discovering and inviting emerging bands to perform."

In 2010, an offshoot of the festival, the Midi Kids Band Competition was staged, aimed at discovering and showcasing child bands from across the country.

In 2018, Cloud, a seven-piece band formed by children from Xichang, Sichuan, with an average age of 12, stood out at the competition. Last year, the band performed reggae at the Midi Music Festival in Suzhou and also appeared at the Wild Mint Festival in Moscow, Russia, at the end of June.

Shan said the Midi Music Festival's success owes a lot to the Midi School of Music.

Now located in Changping district, northern Beijing, the school is attended by about 400 students from across the country. Founded by Zhang Fan, who is still its president, it is considered the "Whampoa (Huangpu) Military Academy of rock music", a reference to one of the country's best-known modern military institutions.