Shi dai qu, which describes the type of Mandarin songs that initially rose into prominence in pre-war Shanghai, were written by combining western music with regional Chinese tunes. These songs had been dubbed by critics as "the bastard son of the music world" and constantly attacked by the intelligentsia.

Li Jinhui was considered the Father of shi dai qu as he had written the first of such songs. He formed Shanghai’s first song and dance troupe called Bright Moon and created a trend with songs like Angel of the Vineyard and Drizzle. Bright Moon's success formula attracted copycats and a host of other troupes trying to cash in on the market were formed.

Shi dai qu’s first generation of songstresses were literally known as `song girls’ and were not worthy to be called `stars’. Li himself groomed them. One of the Bright Moon's attractions was a group called `Four Kings of Heaven’, and one of them, Lan Ping, later launched a movie career, married Mao Zedong, changed her name to Jiang Qing.

The rise in popularity of shi dai qu was closely associated with the nightlife of Shanghai where the dancing and entertainment scenes were buzzing. In the late 1930s, a new kind of singing hall (the first one was Gao Le) began to appear. While the old halls were reserved for Beijing Opera, the new ones featured shi dai qu with the songstresses doubled as 'hostesses'.

Aged between 18 and 25, many of the songstresses may look glamorous but majority had had a tough life. Many were taking advantage of their ephemeral youth to sing in nightclubs or drink with men in dance halls. A few lucky ones were favoured with the patronage of the rich and privileged and enjoyed material comfort.

The radio was the most important medium for the promotion of shi dai qu. Before 1931, Shanghai had about a dozen radio stations. By the end of 1932, the number rose to 49. To fill up airtime, stations invited songstresses to sing. Zhou Xuan, shi dai qu's first superstar and dubbed `Golden Voice’, was discovered test singing in 1934 for a tooth powder promotion. Listeners responded overwhelmingly to her clean, delicate voice and fair appearance, and pushed her to rise to fame although her life ended tragically.

Besides Zhou, some of the well-known songstresses of the era include Wu Yingyin, Li Xianglan, Bai Guang, Yao Li, Ge Lan, Pan Xiu Qiong, Jin Ting, Gu Mei among many others.