From Idol to Innovator

The production team behind I Am a Singer-Songwriter clearly knew what they were doing. Even though the performance-only version skipped guest commentary for other contestants, Chu Zhi's performance still had its own dedicated discussion segment.

Of course it did. Without commentary, how else could they announce Chu Zhi's bold declaration of "founding a new school" of music? That moment was crucial for stirring up buzz.

The emergence of New Chinese Style wasn't just a naive newcomer shouting into the void. Chu Zhi was like a young tiger roaring through the valley, shaking every beast in its path.

By the time the latest episode aired, the audio version of Chrysanthemum Terrace had already gone live on NetEase Cloud Music and [Orange Home]. Honestly, Hou Zhenzhen had lost all interest in the rest of the show. She immediately found the song and began listening, analyzing as she went.

"Dad, Chrysanthemum Terrace doesn't seem to be written strictly in a pentatonic scale, right? I think he added a 'changed gong' to make it a six-tone scale," she said, offering a take that diverged from the show's producer and music judge.

Hou Yubin was chatting with old friends when he instinctively opened his mouth to tell his daughter to figure it out on her own. But when he heard her comment, he paused and set his phone down to think it through seriously.

His wife had always told him: whatever the child discovers, even if it's laughable or flawed, parents must take it seriously.

That was part of why Zhenzhen, not even admitted to the conservatory yet, had the confidence to challenge professional music producers.

NetEase Cloud Music does have user-uploaded sheet music for some songs, but since Chrysanthemum Terrace had just dropped, no one had transcribed it yet.

After careful listening, Hou Yubin nodded. "You're right. He added a changed gong, making it a six-tone scale."

He added, "That judge is a professional music producer, so there's no doubt about his musical foundation. But it's normal to miss details after just one listen."

The traditional pentatonic scale includes gong, shang, jue, zhi, and yu. In terms of Western solfège, it lacks fa and ti. The 'changed gong' corresponds to ti, and the 'changed zhi' to fa. Don't think ancient Chinese music is lacking compared to Western music—when you add these two notes, it's essentially a seven-tone scale. It's just that historically, China placed more emphasis on the five-tone structure.

Zhenzhen nodded, pleased with herself, and made a mental note that Chu Zhi had handled the composition, lyrics, and arrangement all by himself.

"This isn't empty marketing. Chu Zhi really did shake the Chinese music scene single-handedly," she murmured. Zhenzhen wasn't into idolizing celebrities, but to barge headfirst into a K-pop-dominated industry, wielding New Chinese Style as a spear? That was a move worthy of praise. Chinese pop had never looked more powerful.

This was thunder rolling across a chaotic era.

"Even 2D anime wouldn't dare write a plot this dramatic. This guy is seriously kind of cool."

"Dad, what's Chu Zhi like in person?" she suddenly asked.

"In person? He's a very humble young man," Hou Yubin said after thinking back to their past meetings. "Very polite. You could even say too polite. He never gets angry, no matter what others say. And he takes music very seriously."

Too polite? That was the first time Zhenzhen had heard her dad describe someone like that. On second thought, it did make sense. She had overheard bits and pieces from classmates that Chu Zhi had once been wrongly accused and nearly attempted suicide. If he weren't that gentle, maybe he wouldn't have survived.

Founding a new school, Chu Zhi, Chrysanthemum Terrace, and iQIYI's money well spent—those four elements combined into one perfect storm, dominating the trending charts.

Hashtags like #ChuZhiNewChineseStyle, #ChrysanthemumTerraceBreakthroughWork, and #ChinesePopIsTheStrongest rocketed into the top rankings.

"66666, first time hearing someone make the hulusi sound this trendy. This is textbook-level fusion of classical and pop."

"Studying for the civil service exam, and the line 'Afraid you'll never reach the shore, forever drifting' gave me chills. Beautiful song though."

"Haha the guy above ruined the vibe. It was supposed to be twilight fading, a beauty gone, sadness mirrored in the lake. Then boom, meme material. Good luck on your exam though."

"This is heartbreakingly beautiful. Way better than most 'ancient style' songs online. At least the lyrics aren't just randomly forced to rhyme."

"Chu Zhi totally changed my impression. Wasn't he the one doing awful electronic tracks nobody listened to?"

"One listen and I'm hooked. I asked my group chat to recommend ancient-style songs, and now I need more. One isn't enough. Chu Zhi, do you have others?"

"Starting today, I'm officially a Chu Zhi fan. Anyone got a problem with that? Cultural pride is global pride. I swear, just for this, I'm gonna stop swearing for 365 days. Today is freaking day one!"

No need to dig into how his core fans reacted. When it came to their idol, even if he dropped something weird, they'd find creative ways to praise it. Not to mention, Chrysanthemum Terrace was genuinely a masterpiece.

The real surprise was the response from non-fans. Most fell into two groups. One group was stunned by the song and became casual fans, or at least came away with a better impression of him.

After three solid steps forward—including a free new album—public perception of Chu Zhi had shifted. First from "just a traffic star," to "a traffic star who sings," then to "a talented traffic star," and now he was well on his way to becoming "a genuinely gifted artist with a wide following."

Of course, the other group had very different opinions:

"Sure, Chrysanthemum Terrace was great. But this 'Three Classics and Three Innovations'? Feels like too much. It's just another ancient-style song under a new name. Ancient-style pop is niche. You can't build Chinese pop dominance on this alone."

"Isn't Chu Zhi getting a little arrogant? Saying 'Chinese pop is the strongest'—if you're really bold, go head-to-head with Korean pop. Talk is easy. Action is hard."

"His ideas are interesting, I'll give him that."

"LMAO. First Li Xingwei called himself the 'leader of the new generation.' Now we've got Chu Zhi and his 'cultural revival' campaign?"

The truth is, being a celebrity means your words and actions are constantly magnified. Take Zhang Yixing, for example—he had a huge number of haters. Partly because of his "little lamb" persona, and partly because of his overly lofty statements like, "I'm going to lead Chinese music to the global stage."

Big talk invites mockery. Zhang Yixing may have been a competent idol, but even reaching outside his own fanbase with his music was tough.

As for those criticizing Chu Zhi, some just didn't like celebrities making grand claims. As long as you haven't delivered yet, it's all talk.

Then there were the hired trolls from rival agencies. Though "rivals" might not be the right term, since basically every entertainment company in China—aside from Sun River—could be behind it. Who doesn't keep a few online trolls on the payroll these days?

The truth was, Chu Zhi's momentum was simply overwhelming.

His endorsement fees and commercial appearance rates were already among the highest in China's entertainment industry. Even with an exclusive fan app through [Orange Home], his Super Topics still dominated Weibo's trending lists.

His new album had received rave reviews on both Tencent Music and NetEase Cloud. He was winning on all fronts. And now he dared to push forward even more? What, did he plan to fly straight to heaven?

But Chu Zhi wasn't who he used to be. He had grown. A skilled networker, he had built strong relationships in the industry. And the more popular he got, the more support he received.

Yang Guiyun (Soul App): "@EatingABigOrange_ChuZhi is one of the most original musicians out there. I believe we'll see even more amazing Chinese-style songs from him."

Zheng Di: "Looks good to me. #ChuZhiNewChineseStyle"

Li Fei: "#ChinesePopIsTheStrongest. Jiu-ge is a great musician. 'National is global'—that line really inspired me!"

Zhang Mingyi (Usually Blunt): "No question. From Wheat Fields in the Wind, I've always said Chu Zhi would be the one to transform Chinese pop. He's the chosen one! @EatingABigOrange_ChuZhi"

Useless Musician: "Our whole family are fans of Jiu-ge. From The Lone Brave to Chrysanthemum Terrace, his songwriting just keeps improving. This 'Three Classics and Three Innovations' idea is genius."