Not Forgetting the Original, Absorbing Foreign Things, Facing the Future—Comment on Wu Guodong’s “Chinese National Music”

Abstract

Mr. Wu Guodong has devoted his life to the research of national music and ethnomusicology. His works are various and achieved. Also, he practices the academic concepts himself introduced and takes the research of traditional Chinese music and culture to a more profound level. “Chinese National Music” is a masterpiece of Wu Guodong, which concentrates on teaching and combines the ethnomusicology discipline theory and traditional music research techniques. This book describes Chinese national music from five perspectives: folk songs, folk instrumental music, song and dance music, opera music, and opera music. As a new variety of textbooks, its combination of rational cognition and perceptual experience dramatically improves readers’ interest in reading. Thus, it intends to allow more students to comprehend and understand China’s rich and diverse national music from each perspective.