Chinese Music, Traditional Musical Instruments

Ancient Chinese have left a wealth of music instruments and classic tunes. Erhu, Guzheng, Guqin, Xun, Pipa, and other traditional Chinese music instruments may alter your acquired definition of “music”. The great works that have been playing for hundreds or thousands of years may also echo in you.

Melody and tone quality are prominent expressive features of Chinese music, and great emphasis is given to the proper articulation and inflection of each musical tone. Most is based on the five-tone, or pentatonic, scale, but the seven-tone, or heptatonic scale, is also used, often as an expansion of a basically pentatonic core. The pentatonic scale was much used in older music. The heptatonic scale is often encountered in northern folk music.

The variations of rhythm, beat, tone quality, and embellishments in traditional Chinese music are highly distinctive and unlike their Western counterparts. In traditional orchestras, the combination of all the different instruments served to create a harmonious and beautiful auditory atmosphere. Unbelievingly beautiful music was made and is still made. Many instruments can produce purely unique and amazing sounds.

Feature of Chinese Traditional Music

Chinese music was often addressed as “Virtue Music”, “Elegant Music” and “Etiquette Music” in ancient times. In ancient Chinese society, music was not regarded as a way of entertainment, but as a practice to refine one’s virtue. Playing Guqin (Ancient Stringed Musical Instrument) was regarded as one of the primary skills that a scholar had to learn. Chinese traditional culture intensively emphasizes that a musical instrument player pay attention to one’s heart state and virtue, and that one cannot play musical instrument casually.

Traditional Musical Instruments

Pipa

Pipa has four-stringed lute with 30 frets and pear-shaped body. The musician holds the instrument upright and play with five small plectrums attached to each finger of the right hand. The history of Pipa dates back at least 2,000 years. This instrument has extremely wide dynamic range and is remarkably rich and expressive.The Pipa tunes have very diverse styles, and are traditionally classified as either Wen Qu (civil and mild tone) or Wu Qu (martial and fierce tone).

Xun

Xun is a kind of wind instrument. It’s one of the oldest musical instruments found so far in China with a history of more than 7,000 years, and play a important role in world music circle. The instrument has been found along the Yangtze River and the Yellow River as Neolithic relics, and is believed very popular in ancient China. The ancestors used a kind of oval stone with naturally formed holes on it to hunt the preys. When thrown it at the animals, the stone produced a whistling sound as the air flowed through the holes, which could have provided inspiration for early wind instruments.

Horse-Headed Fiddle

The Horse-headed fiddle is a bowed stringed-instrument with a scroll carved like a horse’s head. It is popular in Mongolian music. With a history of over 1,300 years, it even influenced European string music when Marco Polo brought one back from his travels through Asia. Its wide tonal range and deep, hazy tone color express the joy or pathos of a melody to its fullest.

Erhu

The Erhu, also called ‘Huqin’, was introduced from the western region during the Tang Dynasty. During the Song Dynasty (960 – 1279), it was refined and improved and new variations appeared. It was also an important instrument for playing the melody of Beijing Opera. Its music is usually very expressive and touching, especially when you feel down and blue.

When playing, the player usually stands the Erhu on his lap, and moves the bow across the vertical strings. The well-known music ‘Two Springs Reflect the Moon’ was created by the blind folk artist Liu Yanjun, also named A Bing by the people. Though he could not see anything of the world, he played his Erhu using his heart and imagination. This melody conjures up a poetic night scene under the moonlight and expresses the composer’s desolation and hope.

Suona

 

Suona, a very expressive reed instrument with a conical metal bell, is very popular in China’s vast countryside in funeral, wedding, and other celebrative occasions. The Suona has a distinctively loud sound and is used in many Chinese traditional music bands. Meanwhile, it is also an indispensable part of a number of local operas in Hebei, Shandong, Liaoning, Shandong, Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Guangdong provinces.

Modern Chinese Music

Today’s music in China is quite similar to that of modern Western’s. Just like young Westerners, now young people in China attend the concerts of famous pop stars. Modern orchestras play both adapted versions of traditional pieces and classical and modern symphonic compositions.

In modern music, many traditional facets still remain. Many traditional instruments are used in conjunction with popular instruments of Western cultures. The mixing of traditional instruments with western instruments creates a wide variety of euphonious sounds and rhythms, and the mixing with western styles of singing creates unique sounds. Many modern artists also incorporate traditional melodies into their songs, so even music using only popular Western instruments sounds different. The mixing of Western and oriental styles with traditional instruments and other instruments allows for the creation of an endless scope of expression with modern music.

Oriental Pearl Tower, A Distinct Landmark in Shanghai

The Oriental Pearl Tower is a TV tower in Shanghai, China. Its location at the tip of Lujiazui in the Pudong district, by the side of Huangpu River, opposite of The Bund makes it a distinct landmark in the area. It was designed by the Shanghai Modern Architectural Design Co. Ltd. Construction began in 1990 and the tower was completed in 1994. At 468 m (1,535 feet) high, it was the tallest structure in China from 1994-2007, when it was surpassed by the Shanghai World Financial Center. It is classified as a AAAAA scenic area by the China National Tourism Administration.

Why is Oriental Pearl Tower special?

Ranking as the fourth tallest building in Asia, the Oriental Pearl TV Tower is member of the World Federation of Great Towers.

The Oriental pearl Tower is a mixed-use tower with telecommunications transmitters broadcasting over 50 miles, a hotel, a restaurant, and several observation decks. Despite a modern look with metal and concrete, the design is rooted in traditional Chinese culture. The definitive elements of the tower are its eleven spheres or ‘pearls’ distributed along its entire height. The largest pearl is 50 meters in diameter near the base, and the second largest pearl is 40 meters in diameter near the top. When looking at the tower from afar, it appears as though pearls are dropping from the sky onto a lush green plate that symbolizes jade. Thus, the two extremely valuable Chinese gemstones are represented in its structure.

Divisions & Functional Areas

Visitors travel up and down the Oriental Pearl Tower in double-decker elevators that can hold up to fifty people at the rate of seven meters per second. The elevator attendants recite an introduction to the TV Tower in English and Chinese during the rapid 1/4-mile ascent. Once you reach your destination, you will be amazed at the variety of activities available as the various spheres and columns actually house places of interest, commerce, and recreation.

The inner is a recreational palace, while the Municipal History Museum is located in the tower’s pedestal. The large lower sphere has a futuristic space city and a fabulous sightseeing hall. From here, on a clear day a visitor can see all the way to the Yangtze River. The base is home to a science fantasy city. The five smaller spheres are a hotel that contains twenty-five elegant rooms and lounges. The pearl at the very top contains shops, restaurants, (including a rotating restaurant) and a sightseeing floor. The view of the city from this height fills you with wonder at the beauty that surrounds you. When viewed from the Bund at night, the three-dimensional lighting makes it a delight of brilliant color.

Features of Oriental Pearl Tower

The tower features 11 spheres, big and small. The two biggest spheres, along the length of the tower, have diameters of 50 m ( 164 ft ) for the lower and 45 m ( 148 ft ) for the upper. They are linked by three columns, each 9m ( 30 ft ) in diameter. The highest sphere is 14 m ( 46 ft ) in diameter.The entire building is supported by three enormous columns that start underground.

The tower has fifteen observatory levels. The highest is at 350 m . The lower levels are at 263 m and at 90 m. There is a revolving restaurant at the 267 m level. The project also contains exhibition facilities, restaurants and a shopping mall. There is also a 20 room hotel called the Space Hotel between the two large spheres.

The design of the building is based on a verse of the Tang Dynasty poem Pipa Song by Bai Juyi about the wonderful sprinkling sound of a pipa instrument, like pearls, big and small falling on a jade plate. Seen from afar, the Yangpu Bridge and the Nanpu bridge seem like two Chinese dragons frolicking with the pearls of the Oriental Pearl tower.

The Pearl Tower attracts over three million visitors each year.