Chinese Instruments in International Hands

By+staff+reporter+ANA?S+CHAILLOLEAU

THE Chinese like to remind us that they descended from a civilization 5，000 years old and are the rightful heirs of their nations ancient culture. Part of their antique heritage is traditional Chinese music and the instruments that play it. String instruments， wind or percussion —there is something for every taste.

According to historical records， music was developed early in China， at least 3，000 years ago. It may be even older； clay ocarinas have been unearthed and dated at 5，000 years old.. However， it was strictly controlled by the ruling class. During the Qin Dynasty （221-206 BC） there was an office of imperial music， which determined which pieces could be performed at the court， and which military chants and popular melodies would be officially permitted. Thus， musics power to affect or control people and move crowds was already understood and used for the benefit of political and religious authorities.

Over the course of centuries Chinas traditional music and instruments evolved and developed through cultural interaction with other countries. As globalization spreads Western sounds into China， what is the situation of traditional music today？

Coexistence

In the antiques quarter of Liulichang， a district of traditional culture and arts in central Beijing， a store called Yuehaixuan stands out from its neighbors. In the middle of the room stand several zheng， table-sized zithers； in the back， gongs of all shapes and sizes； erhu （two-stringed violins） and hulusi （gourd flute， a wind instrument made of bamboo pipes） hang on the walls. On the floor lies a large selection of guqin， similar to zithers but smaller and with fewer strings.

The store manager Li Shuping told us： “Many young Chinese are learning to master these ancient instruments， perhaps even more than ever before. Thanks to the rise of living standards， they have become affordable. An erhu costs only a few hundred yuan； and a generic zheng is priced at barely above RMB 1，000.”

Chang Yuan is 13 years old， and has studied the kuaibanr for three years. This small percussion instrument， made of bamboo platelets， is used to accompany the rhythms of story-telling， usually comedies， recounted by the musician himself. The Huffington Post described the art form as a kind of “noncompetitive Chinese rap.”

It is Chang Yuans mother who introduced him to this art， the reason：“Neither I nor my husband are musicians. When we were small， we didnt have the same opportunities to learn an art as this generation. But I always wanted my son to be able to play the kuaibanr. It is a good oral exercise and improves the memory. Whats more important， it can improve his self-confidence. He is very timid. The first time he performed for his friends， he was nervous. Today， he can perform in public with ample self-assurance.”endprint

While some Chinese parents press their children to learn traditional instruments， others prefer Western instruments for their offspring. “Few children truly want to learn the kuaibanr，” admitted Chang Yuans mother. “More study the piano， violin， bugle， or trumpet， which are generally deemed high-class.”There are more courses and competitions for Western instruments， and an award from a contest can give an advantage in school applications.

Thus， Chinese and Western instruments coexist in Chinese cities. Certain parts of Beijing abound with stores selling guitars， pianos， violins and other Western instruments， while speakers on every corner blare pop music. But maybe a little bit further away you will see an old man playing mysterious airs on an erhu. And if you stop to dine at a sophisticated Chinese restaurant， your meal may be accompanied by the sweet melody of a zheng or pipa.

An Attractive Addition

But before admiring a spectacle， lets return to Yuehaixuan， the music store. Just as Li Shuping mentioned that there were some foreigners among her clients， two Germans， father and son， entered the store. “As a violinist， I am interested in all kinds of music，” explained the father. “And I would like to understand why Asias traditional music has not managed to spread to us in the West， while Western music has spread all over the world. We visited the Administration of Divine Music in the Temple of Heaven. This is a museum that shows many Chinese instruments， with a performance at the end of the visit. It was very beautiful！ We were delighted to see that traditional music still survives. And we hope that they are really present at the heart of the society， not just used to entertain tourists like us.”

Traveling means leaving the familiar world to discover what exists beyond ones horizons. Thus， the majority of tourists continue to admire the compositions and sounds unfamiliar to their ears. Sometimes they even try to learn an instrument.

This is the case of Maureen， a Belgian girl who has lived in China for five years. After listening to a Mongolian concert in a Beijing bar， she fell in love with the matouqin， horse-headed violin. The sound is less “garish” than an erhu， she says. “Inner Mongolia already attracted me for its grasslands and horse riding； now， also for its music！”

Having played the flute since the age of six， Maureen wished to learn a totally new type of instrument to improve her ear for music. “I started to take courses in matouqin in March， 2014， from a musician from Inner Mongolia. It was difficult at first， because I had no experience. But the hardest part for me is coordinat- ing both hands： moving the bow with the right hand and pinching the strings with the left，” she explained. “To learn， I listen and film my professor， then try to imitate his movements.” Maureen emphasized that she played simply for her own pleasure， learning step by step， whenever she found a spare moment. “At this rate， it will take me another year to feel really familiar with this instrument，”she estimated.endprint

On the other hand， the dizi， a horizontal bamboo flute， has no more secrets for Marie-Claude， the Quebecoise singer in the group Mademoiselle， which has already built a solid reputation across the Chinese capital.

“When I visit a country， I love to discover the local musical instruments. They make up a big part of the culture. So， when I arrived in Beijing at 12 years old， I quickly bought a dizi at a local market， then a guqin.” Already a flautist in Quebec， she had no trouble learning to play. However， she says， “Traditionally， the Chinese apply a thin film to the hole closest to the mouthpiece， allowing high-pitched， vibrant sounds like a kazoo. For my part， I close the hole with tape for a softer sound. But each flute has a different tonality depending on its size.”

Mixing to Create

Marie-Claude described the last performance she saw. “The other night， I went to the Poly Theater to listen to a Henan Opera. It was a mix of Western symphonic orchestra， including flutes， violins， and trumpets， with an ensemble of Chinese instruments. It was magnificent！” She is convinced that Chinese and Western music are not competitors： the two traditions can be combined into a new form of music which defies classification.

“I feel that my compositions are influenced by both cultures. In the beginning， with my dizi， I played rather funky titles on stage. Now， I play pieces with a more Chinese style. To tell the truth， I write primarily according to my mood，”Marie-Claude concludes.

Jean-Sebastien， a young Frenchman better known in Beijing as Djang San， is of the same spirit. Since arriving in China 13 years ago， he has acquired an extensive collection of Chinese instruments： a zhongruan， hulusi， suona（similar to an oboe）， zheng， guqin...But he always plays with the same goal： to innovate.

“When I arrived， I listened to traditional music， but always with the goal of discovering and trying new instruments， to push the limits of what I could learn. My main interest was always in creating new music. When I play other artistspieces， I do so in order to assimilate their techniques. Otherwise， I play my own compositions.”

His favorite Chinese instrument is the zhongruan， derived from the pipa. A guitarist for 15 years， Jean-Sebastien had no difficulties in mastering the new instrument and soon had his own label. “I was the first to create an electric zhongruan， by attaching a microphone from an electric guitar.” He defied conventions again by playing jazz on the Chinese instrument. Public reaction in China seems to be mixed： some are pleasantly surprised by the instruments capacities， others seem troubled， to the point of asking if this instrument is truly Chinese.

Beyond Borders

With regard to these interviews， the saying that “music has no borders”makes total sense. Or at least， music has no more borders， thanks to globalization and the diffusion of technological progress. Moreover， theres no need to travel all the way to China to discover its traditional music. Its only a click away！ It is easy to listen to traditional music concerts， which have acquired international fame. Among them are notables like Liu Fang with his pipa， Li Mengs zheng， and Guo Gan with his erhu， who gave a recital last September at the auditorium of the Guimet Museum in Paris.endprint