Mandopop: Jane Zhang - Dust My Shoulders Off

Chinese singer Jane Zhang has been establishing a style that is what I would call fashionable and international, and now she is going for the big one, making it in the US. For that, she has enlisted Timbaland in the song "Dust My Shoulders Off", which is a saucy and chic track but the eye-opener is the video - it makes some great paintings of history come to life, together with some modern pop history references. Can you spot and name them all?

• Jane Zhang - Dust My Shoulders Off

Chinese pop: Top 10 of the third quarter of 2014

Summing up the best Chinese pop (Mandarin & Cantonese) of July, August and September, I first want to mention the five just outside the top:

15. Alex To - Shake
14. Popu Lady - More
13. Jeannie Hsieh - To Be Mature
12. Elva Hsaio - Romance Strikes
11. Amber An - Welcome to the party!

The final 10 are then:

10. Chopstick Brothers - Xiao Pingo. In some sense this one should be at the top as it is THE viral hit of this year in the Chinese-speaking communities. One couldn't watch a TV-show this summer without seeing the dance of "Little Apple" being done at some point...

9. Han Geng - Wild Cursive. Basically a cool ex-Super Junior dude doing cool war cosplay video.

8. A Mei - Faces of Paranoia and March. Beautiful singing and interesting video (with "Faces...").

7. Show Luo - Fantasy. I have been lazy about Mr Luo but with his double co-op with Ga-In from Korea, I had to write about him in this fascinating video about working in the office. Which is lika a jungle. A sexy jungle.

6. Keeva Mak - Terminally Ill. Somber video which matches the song's theme well.

5. Huangqi Wen - Rain & Happiness. Two quite different sounds but both videos complements each other quite well and makes Ms Wen someone to look out for in the future.

4. Kerin - Good As You. Cheap video from an unnoticable artist, but that doesn't matter as the music is a perfectly good dance track.

3. Jane Zhang - Bazaar. If Show Luo's video is like a sexy fashion shoot, Jane Zhang's Bazaar is a less explicit image of fasionability, but more interesting as her singing tops Luo's.

2. Alan - Mo Lan. Eerily beutiful "ethnic" singing combined with quite the unexpectedly bizarre video that I wouldn't let my younger children watch makes this a must see (and listen).

1. Li Yuchun (Chris Lee) - In 1987, I didn't know I would meet you. Ah, the electronica of this video is just so delicious, and this new direction of Li Yuchun is just perfect.

Mandopop: Jane Zhang (張靚穎)

Jane Zhang's new Bazaar reinforces the impression from Forever, that she is doing interesting uptempo songs now, which is precisely what I think most Mandopop needs as it then goes from sleepy to cool.

• Jane Zhang - Bazaar 
• Jane Zhang - Dust My Shoulders Off
• Jane Zhang - Forever (永遠)
• Jane Zhang - I am mine (我是我的)
• Jane Zhang - Painted Heart II (画心II)
• Jane Zhang - After smiling (微笑以後)