Beijing rocker Cui Jian will perform his “Rolling 30” concert next month at the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center to mark his 30-year career.

    Cui is a singer-songwriter, trumpeter and guitarist. He is considered to be a pioneer in Chinese rock music and one of the first Chinese artists to write rock songs. For this distinction Cui is often labeled “The Father of Chinese Rock.”

    Cui grew up in a musical family in Beijing — his father was a professional trumpet player and his mother was a dancer. Cui followed his father to start playing the trumpet at the age of 14 and joined the Beijing Philharmonic Orchestra in 1981, at the age of 20. Inspired by the likes of Simon and Garfunkel and John Denver, Cui began learning to play the guitar.

    In 1984 he formed his first band, Seven Player Band, with six other classically trained musicians, including the saxophonist Liu Yuan. The seminal band was heavily influenced by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Talking Heads. They performed their soft rock and love songs in local bars. With his band, Cui released his first cassette “Vagabond’s Return” that same year. The album contained mellow, pop songs, but also showcased songs with progressive and folk rock influences, which were fresh and innovative in China at the time.

    In 1985, the band released another album, titled “Cui Jian With Seven Player Band.” The album featured a combination of Western pop rock, as well as new originals. It also featured more prominent use of the electric guitar, which was seldom used in Chinese popular music.

    Cui first shot to stardom in 1986, when he performed “Nothing to My Name” on the 100-Singer Concert of the Year for International Peace at Beijing Worker’s Stadium. His first copyrighted album “Rock and Roll on the New Long March” was released in 1989.

    In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Cui created a hybrid and experimental music mix that cut across divisions between pop music genres. Cui’s songs drew on folk and traditional music types. His earliest and best known works were spiced with Western popular music styles, such as punk, dance and jazz.

    Time: 7:30 p.m., Dec. 24

    Tickets: 280-1,680 yuan

    Venue: Gymnasium of Shenzhen Bay Sports Center, 3001 Binhai Boulevard, Nanshan District (南山区滨海大道3001号深圳湾体育中心体育馆)

    Metro: Line 2, Keyuan Station (科苑站), Exit A(SD News)