Music, Hippies, and Pop Culture of an alternate KMT-ruled China during the 1960s

Alixanderov

In my revised alt-timeline scenario, KMT-ruled China of the 1960s is a Western ally that possesses a nuclear arsenal. As of 1967, it has a large GDP of 500 billion USD and a population of 700 million. Its territory spans OTL China, Taiwan, the Diaoyu Islands, and Western Xikang Province excluding the small amount of land in Western Sinkiang occupied by the Republic of East Turkestan that lasted from 1944 to 1949 IOTL. Its military is ranked as the 3rd most powerful in the world as it had 4 million personnel in total as of 1967.

These are my ideas for the popular music of 1960s China:
Most popular genres among young people: Rock Music (Including Folk Rock, Rockabilly, and Rock and Roll), Chinese-style Soul, Chinese-style 60s Contemporary Pop, Ryhtym and Blues, Chinese-style Merseybeat, Chinese-style Jazz Fusion
Most popular Western Rock bands and artists in China: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Doors, Elvis Presley, Led Zeppelin, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Steppenwolf, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Who, Cream, The Animals, The Kinks, The Yardbirds, Jefferson Airplane, The Beach Boys, Deep Purple, The Byrds, Count Five, The Mamas and Papas, Strawberry Alarm Clock, The Box Tops, The Monkees
 
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Alixanderov

Sekhmet_D said:
I would love for Elvis to shrug off the Colonel's yoke and extensively tour this version of China.
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Same, but my timeline is extremely close to OTL in terms of many different aspects, albeit China is just ruled by the KMT, so the only effects are those related to KMT rule.
 

Sheridantank1996

Alixanderov said:
In my revised alt-timeline scenario, KMT-ruled China of the 1960s is a Western ally that possesses a nuclear arsenal. As of 1967, it has a large GDP of 500 billion USD and a population of 700 million. Its territory spans OTL China, Taiwan, the Diaoyu Islands, and Western Xikang Province excluding the small amount of land in Western Sinkiang occupied by the Republic of East Turkestan that lasted from 1944 to 1949 IOTL. Its military is ranked as the 3rd most powerful in the world as it had 4 million personnel in total as of 1967.
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What Happen to Mao and the CCP
 

Alixanderov

Sheridantank1996 said:
What Happen to Mao and the CCP
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As of 1967:
Mao - Resting in a shallow grave that was dug in 1935
Zhou Enlai - Also resting next to Mao in the same grave
CCP:
Northern CCP (CCP in exile) - Led by pissed off Deng Xiaoping in Mongolia
Southern CCP (Southern CCP remnants) - Growing opium and marijuana and synthesising amphetamine in Northern Burma
 

Alixanderov

JaguarCD said:
Daoism would be rediscovered instead of many documents being destroyed in the Cultural Revolution and become syncretized with China's hippie movement. Fittingly, since Daoism was already a major source of inspiration for the movement in the West, and now 60 years later, most Americans believe in something from Daoism or Buddhism.

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-r...ng-both-religious-and-nonreligious-americans/
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ITTL, the hippie movement is more widespread. In Malaysia (including Singapore as they did not split up ITTL), there are four predominant group of hippies, the Sufi Melayu Hippies, the Taoist-Buddhist Hippies, the Christian Pacifist Hippies, and the neo-Hindu Hippies. In China, hippies are always on the move to avoid government's watchful eyes. As a result, relatively underpopulated and peaceful places like the Kinmen Islands, Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia, Xikang, Northern Yunnan, and Southeastern Sinkiang are considered to be hippie hotspots in China. Moreover, Chinese hippies use weed and LSD, just like their American counterparts.
 
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Aisha Clan-Clan

Aisha Clan-Clan

There'd be much less of a 1960s as we know them. Definitely no hippies. Why? Simple: No real McCarthyism with a non-communist china and no north korea. Sure, there'd be a liberalization of sexual attituds comparable to OTL and unless things somehow go REALLY luckily in the 50s still civil rights protests/riots ubt no hippies.

China would be poor, unstable and obviously a bit culturally protectionist os desptie a regime that's authoritarian as opposed to totalitarianism less change from OTL.
 
JaguarCD

JaguarCD

Alixanderov said:
ITTL, the hippie movement is more widespread. In Malaysia (including Singapore as they did not split up ITTL), there are four predominant group of hippies, the Sufi Melayu Hippies, the Taoist-Buddhist Hippies, the Christian Pacifist Hippies, and the neo-Hindu Hippies. In China, hippies are always on the move to avoid government's watchful eyes. As a result, relatively underpopulated and peaceful places like the Kinmen Islands, Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia, Xikang, Northern Yunnan, and Southeastern Sinkiang are considered to be hippie hotspots in China. Moreover, Chinese hippies use weed and LSD, just like their American counterparts.
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I could actually see the hippies, in America at least, dying out earlier than the mid-1970s with no proto-religious right movements that would exist due to backlash against the Vietnam War protesters that wouldn't happen due to no Communist China.

I wonder how alien folklore would be. The Grey aliens were subconsciously inspired by Asians and the horrifying Korean War trauma people had to conceal during the 1950s, most likely. Which wouldn't be a part of this TL, although World War II would still happen, but in a different way that leads to capitalist nationalists winning in China.
 
THE KINGFISH

THE KINGFISH

Aisha Clan-Clan said:
There'd be much less of a 1960s as we know them. Definitely no hippies. Why? Simple: No real McCarthyism with a non-communist china and no north korea. Sure, there'd be a liberalization of sexual attituds comparable to OTL and unless things somehow go REALLY luckily in the 50s still civil rights protests/riots ubt no hippies.

China would be poor, unstable and obviously a bit culturally protectionist os desptie a regime that's authoritarian as opposed to totalitarianism less change from OTL.
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There probably would be a counterculture movement due to factors dating back to World War II, but the altered geopolitical situation trickling down to pop culture (situation in Indochina is radically different by either KMT China or United ROK) would mean that it wouldn't be the counterculture movement.

And even then a lot could change between the 40s and the 60s in the realm of music. Like Buddy Holly could avoid his plane crash, or Elvis could avoid his exploitation in the 60s - and this changes the early 60s rock scene as well. Decca Records could actually pick up The Beatles ITTL if rock n roll wasn't thrusted into a brief Audience Alienating Era in the early 1960s, which would in turn change The Beatles. You get the idea.

That said, if its a soft alternate history rather than a hard/hard-ish alternate history OP is aiming for, I could suspend my disbelief about OTL's counterculture except in KMT China.
 

Alixanderov

Aisha Clan-Clan said:
There'd be much less of a 1960s as we know them. Definitely no hippies. Why? Simple: No real McCarthyism with a non-communist china and no north korea. Sure, there'd be a liberalization of sexual attituds comparable to OTL and unless things somehow go REALLY luckily in the 50s still civil rights protests/riots ubt no hippies.

China would be poor, unstable and obviously a bit culturally protectionist os desptie a regime that's authoritarian as opposed to totalitarianism less change from OTL.
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ITTL, Korea was a quick and easy win due to a joint Sino-American invasion of North America. However, Mccarthyism still ends up existing, albeit on a smaller scale, due to the fact that Eisenhower barely defeated Truman. North Vietnam ends up becoming Communist, just like in OTL because of three main reasons. Soviet aid, PLA remnants from China, and decreased French civilian support for the French anti-Communist campaign of Vietnam. Dien Bien Phu ends up becoming a Vietnamese victory due to low French morale. As a result, South Vietnam and North Vietnam were formed. The Vietnam War goes on just like IOTL right until February 1967, when China agreed to intervene by sending troops to Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Despite being under Soviet protection, North Vietnam only existed from 1954 to 1970, as it was invaded by South Vietnam, America, South Korea, China, Laos, Cambodia and Australia in 1970. This was because CIA agents and Juntong (Chinese Intelligence Agency) agents found documents suggesting that the Soviets were only bluffing when it came to protecting North Vietnam from an invasion. Therefore, Nixon and Chiang quickly created an invasion plan to end North Vietnam.
 
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