China’s musical traditions span thousands of years and immense regional diversity, from refined solo repertories and opera to folk ensembles, court music, revolutionary song, and contemporary popular forms.
Chinese Music has been made since the dawn of Chinese civilization with documents and artifacts providing evidence of a well-developed musical culture as early as the Zhou Dynasty (1122 BC – 256 BC). Today, the music continues a rich traditional heritage in one aspect, while emerging into a more contemporary form at the same time.
Overview adapted from Wikipedia’s “Music of China” article.
Zhang Bin’s dizi performance demonstrates the bright, buzzing tone and agile ornamentation of China’s widely played transverse bamboo flute.
“On the Prairie” features the zhonghu, a lower-pitched bowed instrument related to the erhu, in an expansive lyrical style.
This zither performance reflects China’s long tradition of intimate solo string music associated with contemplation, scholarship, and expressive nuance.