Chinese Music

Chinese music is as old as the Chinese civilization. As early as 17th – 11th centuries BC, Chinese musical instruments already existed, as evident in those excavated from archaeological sites of the Shang dynasty. Then, it was believed that music purifies one’s souls, as well as reflects the harmony of the universe. It was therefore used frequently in many imperial court ceremonies and rituals. Since then, Chinese music has built upon its traditional ensemble format to evolve into Chinese Orchestra music, fusing the unique sounds of Chinese musical instruments with the depth and scale of the Western symphony orchestra. The typical modern Chinese Orchestra now comprises four major sections: (i) Woodwind, (ii) Bowed-String, (iii) Pluck, and (iv) Percussion. Most Chinese music has also expanded from the basic pentatonic (i.e. five-tone) scale to the heptatonic (i.e. seven-tone) scale.

Today, Chinese music has taken on a renewed role of being recognised as a distinct part of the cultural identity of the Chinese community. The fact that many Chinese musical instruments shared similarities with many traditional instruments of other communities also reflected the value of continuous cultural exchanges in Chinese history.