Performances of Sound of the Xity 2013 will take place at six live-music venues in Beijing. Yugong Yishan, one of the capital's most popular clubs, will feature more-established bands such as Long Shen Dao, Re-Tros- and Shanren.

Mao Live will present the noisier young acts such as Poshang Village, while School, Jianghu Bar and Blue Stream Bar will present the project "Youth Live", which features mostly bands formed by college students, like Easy Mind and Dream Garden.

The Temple Bar will showcase China's world music acts, including Tibetan group Nima and ethnic Mongolian band Yin and Siqin.

Apart from the shows, Chinese and international delegates will exchange ideas at a forum titled "Hidden Assumptions in the Music Industry".

"The Chinese music industry has not been really integrated into the international music industry, and sometimes the differences in concepts and ideas create barriers for Chinese music to go overseas," Zhang says.

"That's why we want to organize this forum so that both sides will learn more about each other. We will seek out and expose the tacit taboos and mixed messages that confound the interactions of the Chinese and Western music industries."

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