Cinepoly Records

Cinepoly Records (Cinepoly Records) is one of the most legendary and creatively innovative record record label labels in the history of Hong Kong pop music. Founded in 1985, the company’s English name, “Cinepoly,” clearly reflects its origins: it was established as a joint venture between “Cinema City”—which was at the height of its success in the Hong Kong film industry at the time—and “PolyGram,” one of the world’s largest record labels. The founders of Cinema City—Mak Ka, Wong Pak-ming, and Shi Tian—hoped to leverage PolyGram’s vast distribution network to expand their film soundtrack and music businesses for their artists.

In its early days, Cinepoly enjoyed PolyGram’s robust support in disc pressing, technology, and overseas distribution, yet maintained a high degree of independence and a forward-thinking vision in artist development, song selection, and production. The first general manager, Chen Shaobao, infused the company’s operations with a strong alternative spirit and a distinctive aesthetic. In 1987, New Art Records reached the first peak in its history—the successful signing of superstar Leslie Cheung. Albums released after Leslie Cheung joined the label, such as *Summer Romance '87*, not only achieved astonishing multi-platinum sales but also set the highest standards in the Chinese music industry at the time for arrangement and recording quality.

New Art’s even more far-reaching contribution to the Hong Kong music scene lay in its promotion of diverse musical styles and rock music. In 1988, record label boldly signed the rock band Beyond, which was still in a semi-underground state at the time, and released landmark albums such as *Secret Police* and *Beyond IV*, successfully propelling local rock music into the mainstream consumer market in Hong Kong and across Asia.

In the 1990s, New Art successfully created one of the greatest female pop icons in the Chinese music scene—Faye Wong. From her early “Wang Jingwen” period to the later Faye Wong era, New Art Records granted her tremendous freedom in song selection and production. In albums such as *Coming Home*, *100,000 Whys?*, and *Di-Dar*, Faye Wong seamlessly blended British alternative rock, dream pop, and high-quality Chinese lyrics. These physical CDs and vinyl records, released by New Art, remain among the most artistically valuable physical music archives in the Chinese-language pop music scene to this day.

Following the dissolution of New Art City Films and adjustments to the multinational record company business structure, New Art Treasure was later fully acquired by PolyGram and, in 1999, merged along with PolyGram into Universal Music Group. Although New Art Treasure no longer exists as an independent legal entity, the vast master tape archive and iconic record label logo it left behind from the 1980s to the 1990s constitute one of the most vibrant recording catalogs from the heyday of Hong Kong pop culture.