Introduction
Being both a music major and a Chinese studies major, I have always been very interested in Chinese music. The main thing that attracts me to this music is how different it is from all the other forms of Western music that I have studied. The Chinese musical tradition is one that stands out due to its desire to maintain a pure nationalistic quality. The resistance to outside influence allowed the music to evolve in a very pure manor. However, after the fall of the last emperor at the turn of the 20th century, there was a huge influx of musical fusion in China. One of the main influences being American Jazz and Blues music. I found this very interesting due to the fact that China had always been so resistant to foreign influence.
The music of China has a very long and rich history. Dating as far back as 1000 BCE, folktales talk of the creation and importance of music. Legend has it that the first musical instruments created in China were a series of bamboo flutes made to imitate the singing of birds. The tones derived from these bird songs created the Chinese five tone scale which is still the basis for Chinese music today. Through the many different emperors and dynasties in Chinese history, the musical tradition slowly began to evolve and mature. The creation of new instruments as well as transcription techniques allowed the Chinese people to explore and expand their musical core. However, due to social and political beliefs, China showed a great resistance to the influence or integration of non-Chinese musical ideas. As explorers and other foreigners began to bring Western music to China, the music was more or less dismissed as a foreign novelty. The Chinese people feared that the fusion of outside musical ideas with traditional Chinese music would dilute and dismantle the Chinese musical tradition. This aversion to the integration of Western musical ideas was not overcome until the fall of the last emperor at the turn of the 20th century. This severance from an imperialistic rule allowed the Chinese people to freely explore and experiment with new ideas. Despite this new era of creation, there were still many Chinese people who felt that the prodigiousness of China should not be tainted with foreign ideas. This feeling, along with many other political and social ideas, eventually lead to a civil war resulting in the establishment of Mao Zedong as chairman of the People's Republic of China. During Mao's reign, one of the most destructive times in Chinese history transpired: The Cultural Revolution. One of the most important aspects of this movement was the idea of purifying China to add to the greatness of the nation. However, this meant that anything having to do with foreigners or even Chinese history had to be purged. This sparked the destruction of numerous historical artifacts, buildings, art, music, and cultural heritage. It also fueled the belief that all who opposed this new order had to be eradicated. After ten years of turmoil, the revolution ended with the death of Mao Zedong. The next years proved very difficult for China to regroup and rebuild. Eventually, with the opening up of China to the rest of the world, the freedom to explore and experiment with Western ideals slowly began to surface again. Even with this new era however, there were still numerous taboo subjects that the people dare not speak out against. Some of these topics even remain taboo to this day. Despite all of the cultural turmoil that transgressed during the 20th century, a select few comprised of scholars, artists, and musicians refused to abandon their beliefs. They fought tirelessly to preserve their ideals and continue to do so today.
In my research, I aim to focus solely on the musical aspect of this resistance. Through the analysis of the people, places, and techniques utilized during the past hundred years, I aim to give a clear explanation of why Chinese music is the way it is today. I have arranged this website into two main sections, each one focusing on aspects or disciplines that contributed to the evolution of Chinese music. The first section is a collection of pages that serves as a general background to give context to the topics discussed in my research. The second section revolves around connecting the previously discussed articles to each other and explaining the evolution of Chinese music. This second section will also explain why I decided to do this research and present my main findings.
The music of China has a very long and rich history. Dating as far back as 1000 BCE, folktales talk of the creation and importance of music. Legend has it that the first musical instruments created in China were a series of bamboo flutes made to imitate the singing of birds. The tones derived from these bird songs created the Chinese five tone scale which is still the basis for Chinese music today. Through the many different emperors and dynasties in Chinese history, the musical tradition slowly began to evolve and mature. The creation of new instruments as well as transcription techniques allowed the Chinese people to explore and expand their musical core. However, due to social and political beliefs, China showed a great resistance to the influence or integration of non-Chinese musical ideas. As explorers and other foreigners began to bring Western music to China, the music was more or less dismissed as a foreign novelty. The Chinese people feared that the fusion of outside musical ideas with traditional Chinese music would dilute and dismantle the Chinese musical tradition. This aversion to the integration of Western musical ideas was not overcome until the fall of the last emperor at the turn of the 20th century. This severance from an imperialistic rule allowed the Chinese people to freely explore and experiment with new ideas. Despite this new era of creation, there were still many Chinese people who felt that the prodigiousness of China should not be tainted with foreign ideas. This feeling, along with many other political and social ideas, eventually lead to a civil war resulting in the establishment of Mao Zedong as chairman of the People's Republic of China. During Mao's reign, one of the most destructive times in Chinese history transpired: The Cultural Revolution. One of the most important aspects of this movement was the idea of purifying China to add to the greatness of the nation. However, this meant that anything having to do with foreigners or even Chinese history had to be purged. This sparked the destruction of numerous historical artifacts, buildings, art, music, and cultural heritage. It also fueled the belief that all who opposed this new order had to be eradicated. After ten years of turmoil, the revolution ended with the death of Mao Zedong. The next years proved very difficult for China to regroup and rebuild. Eventually, with the opening up of China to the rest of the world, the freedom to explore and experiment with Western ideals slowly began to surface again. Even with this new era however, there were still numerous taboo subjects that the people dare not speak out against. Some of these topics even remain taboo to this day. Despite all of the cultural turmoil that transgressed during the 20th century, a select few comprised of scholars, artists, and musicians refused to abandon their beliefs. They fought tirelessly to preserve their ideals and continue to do so today.
In my research, I aim to focus solely on the musical aspect of this resistance. Through the analysis of the people, places, and techniques utilized during the past hundred years, I aim to give a clear explanation of why Chinese music is the way it is today. I have arranged this website into two main sections, each one focusing on aspects or disciplines that contributed to the evolution of Chinese music. The first section is a collection of pages that serves as a general background to give context to the topics discussed in my research. The second section revolves around connecting the previously discussed articles to each other and explaining the evolution of Chinese music. This second section will also explain why I decided to do this research and present my main findings.