Fuzhou and Chengdu culture

If you need a break from the constant trade war news (I know I do), here are a few fun reads about local culture in southern China:

• The southeast: Fuzhou. Silkwinds has an article about the indie rock music and culture in the provincial capital of Fujian Province, focusing on The Romp (“THE 尺口MP”), a band that had “China’s Best Independent Release of the Year” according to ratings site Douban. The band’s so-called “leisure pop” and overall vibe exemplifies the “Buddhist Youth” attitude that state media criticized last year.
• The southwest: Chengdu. Long known as a haven for alternative lifestyles — basically China’s go-to place for anything from LGBT events to up-and-coming hip-hop — the city has an independent magazine devoted to celebrating local Chengdu culture. Neocha has an article about the magazine, whose name is Kuoyi, the Sichuan dialect for keyi (可以 kěyǐ), which literally means “possible” but colloquially means “sounds good.”
• Chengdu is also becoming known for its startup tech culture, which TechNode reports on here, and The China Project reported on last year:

Will Chengdu become a haven for foreign startups?