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China is known as the manufacturing capital of the world, pumping out products such as smartphones and solar panels for global consumption — can it manufacture entertainment too?
中国以世界制造业之都、生产出智能手机和太阳能电池板等大量产品供全球消费而闻名，中国也能生产娱乐产品吗？
Shanghai's SNH48, one of China's rising girl bands, certainly thinks so. Last month, the group’s backers raised more than Rmb1bn ($150m) from investors, eager to tap into a popularity that saw them sell 2m albums in China last year to teenage girls enamoured with their songs about romance, princesses and beach vacations.
中国正在崛起的女子偶像团体之一、位于上海的SNH48当然这么认为。去年SNH48向中国的少女们售出了200万张唱片，少女们对她们那些有关浪漫、公主和海滩度假的歌曲非常痴迷。上月，该团体的运营方向投资人融资逾10亿元人民币（合1.5亿美元），希望能在知名度上继续深耕。
Historically, Chinese teenagers have danced to imported music from Japan and South Korea. But last year’s ban on Korean music — triggered by Seoul’s decision to host a US missile shield as a defence against its hostile northern neighbour — opened up an opportunity for singers and savvy investors alike.
从历史上看，中国的青少年是随着进口的日韩音乐而起舞的。但是，去年限韩令——这是由于韩国决定引入一款美国导弹防御系统来防范其敌对的北方邻国而招致的——为歌手和精明的投资人提供了一个机遇。
“In the past few years, the Chinese pop music scene has grown rapidly through China’s own rich human resources and bold investment,” says Nick Pyo, a South Korean producer.
“过去几年里，中国流行音乐行业借助其本国丰富的人力资源和大胆投资，实现了快速发展，”韩国制作人Nick Pyo表示。
Unlike western pop, which trades on authenticity and the idea of performers singing from the heart, SNH48 is run more like a tech start-up than a musical group. Taking its inspiration from Japanese group AKB48, instead of a core group it runs on teams of interchangeable singers — a strategy managers hope will allow them to build generations of young female stars and longer-lasting revenue streams.
与以表演者发自内心歌唱为创意原则的西方流行音乐团体不同，SNH48的管理更像是一个创业型企业，而不是一个乐队。从日本团体AKB48那里获得灵感之后，SNH48不是依赖少数几名团队成员，而是使用多个彼此可以相互替换的歌手组合——经理希望这种策略将让他们打造出一代又一代的年轻偶像，带来更持久的现金流。
Fans vote for their favourite performers and teams, each with their own look and sound. A mobile app lets diehard supporters track their favourite performers, watch their daily live streams and send them personalised notes.
粉丝们投票支持最喜欢的表演者和组合，每个组合都有自己的外观和声音。一款手机app让铁杆支持者们追踪他们最喜欢的表演者，观看她们每日的流媒体直播，并向她们发送个性化的信件。
Anita Huang, a managing partner at Sinovation Ventures, one of the earliest investors in SNH48, says that in traditional celebrities-centred businesses that are dependent on individuals, “one, two, three persons are hot for a while but if they are not, then the business dies”.
创新工场(Sinovation Ventures)管理合伙人黃蕙雯(Anita Huang)表示，在依赖个人的传统的、以名人为核心的公司里，“一到三个人会红一段时间，如果她们不红了，那么公司也就完了”。创新工场是最早投资SNH48的机构之一。
New teams are carefully cultivated by SNH48’s managers and introduced each year. “The S team is older, and they are more upbeat and lively, whereas the H team is more strait-laced,” says Tao Ying, chief executive of Shanghai Siba Media and Culture Group, the company behind SNH48. “The N team has more of a cute vibe, which suits them because they are all on the shorter side.”
每年，SNH48的经理们都会小心地培养并推出新组合。“S组合年纪更大，她们更有生机和活力，而H组合就更拘谨一些，”SNH48的运营方上海丝芭文化传媒有限公司(Shanghai Siba Media and Culture Group)的CEO陶莺说，“N组合有着一种更萌的氛围，这适合她们，因为她们的个子都不太高。”
Still, rampant piracy makes China a tough music market. Despite its size, it is only the 19th biggest music market in the world, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Industry revenues were just $170m in 2015.
不过，盗版猖獗使中国音乐市场十分艰难。国际唱片业协会(International Federation of the Phonographic Industry)的数据显示，尽管中国音乐市场规模巨大，但在全球仅仅排在第19位。2015年，中国音乐行业营收仅为1.7亿美元。
SNH48 does not let other apps or streaming platforms sell or play their music. Last year it made $12m from album sales. “We want to take things one step at a time in China first,” Ms Tao says, “but of course we are thinking of entering into different markets.”
SNH48不允许其他app或流媒体平台出售或播放他们的音乐。去年，SNH48的唱片收入达到1200万美元。“首先，我们在中国向一步一步地来，”陶莺说，“但是，我们当然在考虑进入不同市场。”
While SNH48 is one of the biggest teen bands, it is competing in an increasingly crowded domestic space as Chinese companies flood the charts with girl and boy groups. Its competitors include Acrush, a boy band that is actually made up of androgynous women.
尽管SNH48是最大的青少年组合之一，但随着中国公司推出大量的女孩、男孩团体，SNH48在国内市场的竞争环境越来越拥挤。它的对手包括Acrush组合，这是一个实际上由几名长相“帅气”的女子组成的男生组合。
SNH48 hosts live performances five nights a week in its 350-seat theatre on the fringe of urban Shanghai, and hosts handshake events across the country. At a live performance last month, fans waved pendants for their favoured performers and chanted adoring poems to them.
在上海近郊一处有350个座位的剧院，SNH48每周都安排5个晚上的演出，并在全国各地举办握手会。在上月的一场现场表演上，粉丝们朝着自己最喜欢的表演者挥舞着挂件，并对她们高唱赞美诗。
“I like just coming and hanging out in the theatre with the rest of the fans,” says Shi Jinhong, 21. “It is like a second home here.”
“我喜欢来到剧院跟其他粉丝闲逛，”21岁的Shi Jinhong说，“这就像是第二个家。”
