China Record Corporation

Credits

Compiled by
2K-tan

Background

China Record Corporation (abbreviated CRC, Chinese: 中国唱片总公司) is the largest state-owned record company in Mainland China, founded in 1949 after the establishment of the People's Republic. Their catalog largely consists of ethnic, classical and folk music, with some works notably specializing in ancient Chinese music, minyue music (modern Chinese classical compositions), Chinese opera performances, and revolutionary songs. Part of the library also specializes in children's songs and national pop music.

1st Logo (1980s)

Visuals: On a blue background, multiple curved staff lines with orange notes moving in front of them appear waving. After a while, the staff lines turn static and the musical notes close to the screen turn into straight lines and move to the bottom-center, while the background turns into a blue-purple gradient with a dark blue surface. The orange line turns into a lyre harp, and stars appear shining on it. Then radial circles appear around the lyre harp, expanding towards the screen and disappearing. The lyre harp turns 3D, spinning into a circular emblem with two lines at the middle with the text "CRC" inside, a drawing of the Huabiao totem and the Meridian Gate of the Beijing Forbidden City at the top, and wireframe globe-like lines at the bottom. The elements of the emblem then change colors, with the outlines in green-yellow, the Forbidden City in orange, the Huabiao totem in yellow, the inside of the middle ribbon in dark brown, the inside of the bottom in an dark orange-bright orange gradient, and the "CRC" letters in a moving rainbow-like gradient. The white Chinese text "中国唱片总公司" zooms in at the bottom of the logo, and the gray "CHINA RECORD CORPORATION" appears below it.

Technique: Cel animation.

Audio: A majestic, Chinese-infused synth theme done in a Yamaha DX7.

Availability: Unknown. ^[Examples?]

2nd Logo (1993-2000s)

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Visuals: On a white-blue-black gradient background, a model of the gate of the Forbidden City, colored mainly in light red with the roofs in yellow and green platns around it, set above a platform, zooms out. At the left of the model is the Huabiao totem in a metallic texture, and above it there's the Chinese characters "中国唱片" in yellow. Once all the elements zoom out, these remain still for a while, and later turn to the right while these fade into the golden text "CRC". The text stays on-screen for a few seconds before disappearing. The silver text "中國唱片總公司", along with "出版發行" below, fade in at the center.

Variant: Sometimes, the logo ends with the golden CRC text fading to a distorted blue galaxy background, alongside within the variant, the simplified version of the text in a grey-white gradient flies up with a trail-like effect, which later opens from being curved. The text "出版发行" in white outline spins in the same trail-like effect. All the elements then later reverse.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A Chinese bianzhong bell orchestra theme.

Availability: Seen in many karaoke VCDs produced by CRC around the 1990's.

3rd Logo (2000s)

Visuals: On a golden brown-light yellow gradient background, the camera rotates and pans around a golden model of the Forbidden City and the Huabiao totem, with three flashing cuts that reveal a front view of the two monuments, a view of the totem, and a view through the balcony of the building. At the last shot, the camera zooms out with the model fully revealed. The yellow text "CRC", slightly slanted towards the left, writes in and glows and a trail appears moving in front of the text. 3D models of the same characters then spin out into place, and a yellow flare brings a spinning registered mark. The golden border appears as the models turn into an outline. The logo zooms out, and the Chinese name of the company "中國唱片總公司" is shown below it.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A triumphant orchestral fanfare with whooshes.

Availability: Unknown. ^[Examples?]