This thesis offers a critical analysis of Shanghai’s urban policies and their impact on independent music practices within China’s national‑led cultural governance. Examining schemes such as the “Performing Arts New Spaces” initiative under the 14th Five‑Year Plan, it contends that Shanghai’s drive to establish itself as a “culturally strong” global metropolis privileges commercial viability and spatial regulation, thereby marginalising grassroots music communities. Utilising Bourdieu’s concept of cultural capital alongside Lefebvre’s theory of the production of space, the study uncovers entrenched disparities in venue allocation: high‑end, state‑endorsed sites concentrate in central districts, while experimental genres (for example, punk and post‑rock) are confined to informal or unstable locales. A comparative case study of Berlin illuminates a contrasting approach, where legal safeguards and community governance uphold cultural autonomy, especially evident in clubs like SO36, which benefit from “night‑time institution” status. By contrast, Shanghai’s independent venues confront censorship, gentrification and administrative hurdles, pressing subcultural groups into makeshift or transient spaces. The thesis concludes that although Shanghai’s policies purport to democratise cultural participation, they in fact reinforce hierarchical access by favouring economically secure and ideologically neutral expressions. Achieving genuine spatial justice, it argues, demands a reimagining of urban governance that embraces diversity, grassroots involvement and non‑commercial cultural forms.

Authors:
Yuqing Xu, University of Warwick, United Kingdom

About the Presenter(s)
Yuqing Xu is currently pursuing a master's degree at the University of Warwick in the UK, majoring in GLobal media and Communication. My research interests include cultural equality, cultural policies, and public events & festivals

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