# Classical Music in China



## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

https://www.caixinglobal.com/2016-05-07/how-china-influenced-western-classical-music-101052970.html


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

Interesting read. Thanks for posting it.

"...the Sichuan Conservatory, in the southwestern city of Chengdu, is said to have more than 10,000 students. Juilliard in New York has 800."

On my most recent trip I stopped in to visit a Chinese violin factory - they also made violas and cellos, from 1/4 size to full. A huge warehouse was packed with thousands of instruments. These were not Strads, or even pretended to be - they were for students to learn on, like the ones you can get at Amazon for $100. The owner told me something that was shocking: in China there are more students learning violin than the US has students.


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## Guest (Jun 8, 2019)

Slightly off topic, but I wonder if there are any current members of this forum who live in China. I recall a couple of years ago there were possibly a small number, but I haven't noticed any recently. It would be interesting to hear from any who may be here what the current scene is like in their country for Western classical music.


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## haydnguy (Oct 13, 2008)

mbhaub said:


> Interesting read. Thanks for posting it.
> 
> "...the Sichuan Conservatory, in the southwestern city of Chengdu, is said to have more than 10,000 students. Juilliard in New York has 800."
> 
> On my most recent trip I stopped in to visit a Chinese violin factory - they also made violas and cellos, from 1/4 size to full. A huge warehouse was packed with thousands of instruments. These were not Strads, or even pretended to be - they were for students to learn on, like the ones you can get at Amazon for $100. The owner told me something that was shocking: in China there are more students learning violin than the US has students.


I read somewhere, I don't know if it's true but that Western Concert music is more popular even taking in consideration percentage in China than it is the U.S. That's really sad if true.


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

^ Sad for Americans. Happy for the Chinese. Do countries in a dynamic stage of growth tend to be more passionate about the arts than countries in decline (not, of course, that I would suggest here that America is in decline at the moment). Certainly in Britain the idea that the arts are a worthwhile use of time (let alone government money) is dying fast as we slowly get used to not being country that can make its own destiny!


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

Enthusiast said:


> ^ Sad for Americans. Happy for the Chinese. Do countries in a dynamic stage of growth tend to be more passionate about the arts than countries in decline (not, of course, that I would suggest here that America is in decline at the moment). Certainly in Britain the idea that the arts are a worthwhile use of time (let alone government money) is dying fast as we slowly get used to not being country that can make its own destiny!


Maybe people who live in Britain have different perspective, but from the western US, Britain looks like the promised land! London alone has: London Symphony, Royal Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, Philharmonia, ASMF, the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden. And a lot more. There are superb orchestras in Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Edinburgh, Glasgow. Numerous orchestras, choral groups and other music ensembles in smaller towns all over the isle. BBC3 is terrific, as are the Proms they sponsor. A recent edition of BBC Music magazine has page after page of summer music festivals all over Britain. And all of this in a land area just a bit smaller than the entire western US state of Wyoming. Wyoming has no world-class orchestras - just a couple of semi-pro groups, and the Grand Teton Music Festival, which is terrific. That's it. Last time I was in London it was very, very sad to see that some of my favorite haunts, like Harold Moore's, are gone. That HMV is a shadow of what it used to be. But otherwise, classical seems very healthy in the UK, and London remains the classical music capital of the world! I pray Brexit doesn't change that.


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## RICK RIEKERT (Oct 9, 2017)

According to a study by Daxue Consulting, a market research and management consulting firm focusing on the Chinese market, the main reason Chinese parents encourage their children to learn to play a musical instrument is in order to pass music certification tests. According to an industry report, more than 90% of the market output of instruments comes from the training for graded tests. Most Chinese parents do not support their kids applying for art/music colleges, but they still wish their children could learn some artistic skills, for example, music instruments. The grading test certification is proof of their kids’ academic success. Having high-level certification is a stepping stone for entering better schools or universities and so getting better paying jobs. For junior/senior high schools, students with music instrument certification can get higher marks for competing. For the entrance examination for college, universities provide a special channel for students with high-level music skills. This is the reason behind why piano instruction and competition is so popular, as piano, in addition to being a symbol of elegance and dignity in Chinese parents' minds, is one of the few instruments for which certification is available.


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