Chinese Music dates back to the start of Chinese civilization. Ling Lun was the legendary founder of music in ancient China. In Chinese mythology, it was said that he had created bamboo flutes which made the sounds of many birds, including the mythical phoenix. So, the “Yellow Emperor” ordered the casting of bells in tune with those flutes. Documents and artifacts provide evidence of a well-developed musical culture as early as the Zhou Dynasty. Today, in one way the music continues with this rich traditional heritage while incorporating a contemporary form at the same time.

In the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties, only royal families and dignitary officials enjoyed music. Instruments such as stone chimes, bronze bells, panpipes, and the Sheng were widely used at that time. The Chinese, especially the rulers, have always believed that the beautiful melodies of music are good for harmony of the universe. During the Han Dynasty

, the imperial court had set up a Music bureau in charge of gathering and editing ancient tunes and folk songs.With the rapid development of China’s international trade, especially with Central Asia, foreign music was brought to the country in the form of the Pipa and the Huqin, a vertically held violin. The foreign originating music had such a big effect on our composers of this time that they modified and improved Chinese music to a huge extent. By the time of the Tang Dynasty, dancing and singing were added into the art form. And everyday people enjoyed the pleasure of music. During the tenure of the Emperor Tang Xuanzong, the court organized the Pear Garden Academy song and dance troupe which developed a large number of musicians and laid a firm foundation for Chinese music. With foreign religions such as Buddhism and Islam coming into China, exotic and religious melodies were absorbed into Chinese music. Since the Song Dynasty, original opera started to be performed for the public. And it was quite popular among the common people. In the Yuan Dynasty, there was a new type of literature – Qu. It showed a good combination of literature and music. When it came to Ming and Qing Period, the art of opera developed further and the most famous Beijng-Opera was created.

What kinds of traditional Chinese music instruments are there?

The traditional Chinese music instruments are quite different from our modern instruments. They can be divided generally into three categories: Woodwind and percussion, Bowed strings and Plucked and struck strings. The following are the most famous ones of them:

1. Erhu

Often called the “Chinese Violin”. It is the most popular bowed string music instrument with a small body and a long neck. There are two strings, with the bow inserted between them. Which is why this instrument is called the “Erhu” – “Er” means “two” in English. With a range of about

,three octaves, its sound is just like a violin however with a weaker tone. Together with Zhonghu, Gaohu and Sihu, Erhu belongs to the “Huqin” family.Erhu was introduced into China more than a thousand years ago. It is said to be created using developments to the Xiqin instrument belonging to the Xi people from Central Asia. They came to China in the 10th century and brought the instrument to the country.

3. Pipa

Pipa, sometimes called the “Chinese lute”, was one of the first string instruments coming to China from the West. The Pipa is quite similar to the Western lute, but it has only four strings and a very flat corpus. The instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets ranging from 12–26.The Pipa appeared in the Qin Dynasty and was developed during the Han Dynasty. It became a favorite in the Tang Dynasty and was referred to frequently in Tang poetry. The instrument was imported into Japan, Korea and Vietnam at that time. Even today, it is still one of the most popular Chinese instruments and has been played for nearly two

thousand years in China.There are many well-known pieces of music played by Pipa, for example “Ambushed from Ten Sides” （十面埋伏）and “Moonlit River in Spring” （春江花月夜）.

What is modern Chinese music?
In the 1970s, cantopop rose in Hong Kong, and later mandopop in Taiwan. Since the end of the 20th century, pop music in mainland China started to become more popular. Especially at the start of the 21st century, Mainland Chinese artists have started producing a wide range of mandarin pop songs and have many new albums.
Nowadays, Chinese music is quite similar to modern Western music. R&B, rock, blues, or dance music are quite popular among Chinese youth. Modern Chinese orchestras play both adapted versions of traditional pieces and classical and modern symphonic compositions. Popular modern music incorporates many aspects of Western music from electric keyboards to guitars.