“Center or periphery?”: regional music in contemporary China

Abstract

Chinese regional cultures have often been viewed as subsidiary to a perceived unified national culture. Implicit in this perspective is the validation of the prestige, power, and authority of the center. This view invariably renders regional cultures insignificance and trivial. A closer look at regional cultures in situ reveals a reality contrary to perceptions held by outsiders. For the locals, regional culture shapes their sense of self and cultural ethos. Using examples of contemporary regional music as lenses, this paper explores what regional music is, what it means to the locals, and its relationship to national music and culture. I suggest that as a domain of culture, music often functions as an emblem for marking identities because of the sentiment and sensibility it evokes. In the post-1949 era, Chinese scholars and musicians often view regional music, “difang yinyue” disparagingly as they attempt to establish a pan-Chinese musical style known as minzu yinyue or minyue. Although acknowledging unique features of various “difang yinyue,” regional music has been treated as an object of exoticism and as flavors used only to enrich their original compositions. The prevailing notion is that regional music–a distant voice from the margin and a sign of backwardness inherited from the past–needs to be developed and brought into the present. Despite this seemingly patronizing attitude and constant criticism, the practice of regional music receives continuous support from the local population and it has witnessed an increase in popularity in recent years. In particular, this paper addresses the question of local identity as manifested in two regional musical traditions, namely Jiangnan Sizhu in Shanghai and Xianshi in the Guangdong Chaozhou area and in Bangkok. The performance of music and musical discourse undoubtedly evolves around the question of identity. Through a discussion of the music and performance practice in these two areas, I argue that the maintenance and continuity of any regional music enables its practitioners to draw a boundary between themselves and others and also provide them with a voice in the state controlled cultural space.