C-Pop

C-pop is the umbrella term for Chinese-language popular music, encompassing Mandopop, Cantopop and the smaller Hokkien pop industry, produced chiefly in mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Chinese diaspora. Its mainstream is ballad-centred: polished love songs sung in Mandarin or Cantonese over piano, strings and soft electronic backing, sold through karaoke as much as radio. Around that core sit dance-pop, R&B and rock fusions, and since the 2000s a growing hip hop sector. Stars such as *Teresa Teng*, *Faye Wong*, *Jacky Cheung* and *Jay Chou* made C-pop one of the largest popular-music markets in the world.