China's first famous adolescent band, Flowers, had barely blossomed into youth when they appeared on the Chinese music scene in 1998.

The three members of the band, Senior Zhangwei, Wang Wenbo and Guoyang, were all under 18 at the time, making one wonder why they weren't in school rather than performing in smoky bars. But in an industry not noted for its intellectuals, who needs education? Certainly not Flowers, whose 1999 debut album "On the Other Side of Happiness" gave them a lot to smile about with its huge sales.

Let's listen to the title song from their first album, "On the Other Side of Happiness."

"Facts are still the facts and dreams are hard to achieve. When waking up, I suddenly realize that I have been always on the other side of happiness. What I believed in the past is changing; the world that I fancied before does not have an ending."

That was On the Other Side of Happiness, the title song of their debut album.

As they started off, Flowers' music was similar to American pop-punk outfits Green Day and Blink 182. Next up are two songs from their first album, "Hong Long Long" and "Fire at Me".

1998 was a good year for punk in China, as various Sex Pistols wannabes smashed and spat their way around the Beijing's underground music scene. In fact, maybe 'month' of punk is more appropriate than year as the movement had fizzled out before the hair gel had dried. As soon as they'd formed a band, it seems like most new punk outfits packed up their amps and went off to Yunnan for an extended holiday that has yet to come to an end.

However "Flowers", eager for commercial success, stuck around. Despite being criticized for overly accessible songs like "Stillness", "Disillusion" and "School's Out", the band was perfect material for the market they were after. Here are the two songs, "Stillness", and "Disillusion".

Flowers quickly became known as the voice of China's youth, and they certainly some disaffected Chinese youth a resonant voice. Teenagers around the country were deeply affected by their songs and felt that Flowers' lyrics reflected their own life experiences, including the next two songs "School's Out" and "Take Wing".

As a result of Flower's music, punk music became more widely known in China, no doubt much to the consternation of punk purists. This is the title track from Flowers' second album of the same name, "The Strawberry Statement".

In light of the band's commercial impact, some overenthusiastic commentators even declared that they were the true fathers of Chinese punk. There's not much rebellion in the music, but still a little attitude left over. Let's listen to a song that they say describes them, "Punk Boys".

Perhaps the most rock and roll thing the band has done was to sue their first record company. After a two-year process which was eventually settled out of court, Flowers signed a new deal with EMI and brought in a new member to the band, guitar player Shi Xingyu. The new album was more adventurous than their first two, and the next song we'll hear is from that album, it's called "It's time for Flowers in Bloom".

Their new style is most apparent on "I' m Your Romeo", and you can hear the influences of hip-hop and techno. Here is the title song of their new album, "I'm Your Romeo".

Flowers have come a long way from their old punk roots, but they are as straightforward as ever in their ideals -- or lack of them. Vocalist Senior Zhangwei says "We have to earn our living through music.… Pleasing our fans is our reason for making music and we don't care about other things." The songs are still fairly upbeat and the lyrics pretty direct, although Senior Zhangwei has softened the tone a bit for some of the new love songs. Have a listen to "Add, Reduce, Multiply and Divide" and "On the Other Side of Happiness".

(CRI.com August 10, 2004)