{"id":7218,"date":"2017-09-08T15:33:26","date_gmt":"2017-09-08T07:33:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.writtenchinese.com\/?p=7218"},"modified":"2022-09-08T18:59:23","modified_gmt":"2022-09-08T10:59:23","slug":"what-need-know-zhong-guo-feng-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.writtenchinese.com\/what-need-know-zhong-guo-feng-music\/","title":{"rendered":"What You Need To Know About Zhong Guo Feng Music"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We’ve created several articles in the past that gave you some Chinese songs and artists<\/a> to listen to and learn Chinese with. This time, we’re delving into a ‘niche’ genre of Chinese music, ‘zhong guo feng’, that provides us with not only a fun and entertaining language learning resource but also a cultural one!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traditional Chinese Music and Instruments<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You may already be aware of some of <\/span>China\u2019s traditional styles of music<\/span><\/a>, as well as some of its instruments. Confucius, who lived around 2500 years ago, was said to be a skilled musician and set the \u2018guidelines\u2019 for good quality music. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike western style music, traditional Chinese music was not meant to be danced to and was instead meant to \u2018promote tranquillity\u2019. Because of this, Chinese music does not tend to have any emphasis on beat or rhythm.   <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some of the instruments common to traditional Chinese music:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

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\u4e8c\u80e1<\/span><\/a> (<\/span>\u00e8r<\/span> h\u00fa)<\/span> – a two stringed violin type instrument that is used to expressed sadness and to imitate birds and singing.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

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\u53e4\u7b5d<\/span><\/a> (<\/span>g\u01d4<\/span> zh\u0113ng)<\/span> – an 18-23 stringed instrument that is plucked horizontally. It is usually played solo, by a female musician at an opera or concert. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

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\u7435\u7436<\/span><\/a> (<\/span>p\u00ed<\/span> pa)<\/span> – 4 stringed instrument, similar to a medieval lute. The instrument was popular in Chengdu, the capital during the Tang Dynasty and is now most commonly seen in performances.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

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\u7b1b\u5b50<\/span><\/a> (<\/span>d\u00ed<\/span> zi) <\/span>– a flute made from bamboo with around 6 finger holes. One hole was covered with paper to create a raspy noise.  <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u4e2d\u56fd\u98ce (zh\u014dng gu\u00f3 f\u0113ng) Zhong Guo Feng \u2018Chinese Style\u2019 <\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The songs and artists found in Chinese music charts in the modern day are mostly pop and hip hop following trends from the west as well as Korea and Japan.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

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\u4e2d\u56fd\u98ce (<\/span>zh\u014dng gu\u00f3 f\u0113ng)<\/span> Zhongguo feng mixes elements of traditional Chinese music, Chinese opera and poetry with modern pop music. \u4e2d\u56fd\u98ce (<\/span>zh\u014dng gu\u00f3 f\u0113ng) comes from <\/span>\u4e2d\u56fd\u98ce\u683c\u7684<\/span><\/a> (<\/span>zh\u014dng<\/span> gu\u00f3 <\/span>f\u0113ng<\/span> g\u00e9 de)<\/span> meaning \u2018Chinese Style\u2019 and<\/span> was first seen in 2003, when Jay Chou <\/span>\u5468\u6770\u4f26<\/span><\/a> (<\/span>zh\u014du<\/span> ji\u00e9<\/span> l\u00fan)<\/span>, the Taiwanese Pop star released  \u2018<\/span>East Wind Breaks<\/span><\/i>\u2019 <\/span>\u4e1c\u98ce\u7834<\/span><\/a> (<\/span>d\u014dng<\/span> f\u0113ng <\/span>p\u00f2)<\/span>. The song is a modern R&B song with the traditional instruments of the <\/span>\u4e8c\u80e1<\/span><\/a> (<\/span>\u00e8r<\/span> h\u00fa)<\/span> and <\/span>\u7435\u7436<\/span><\/a> (<\/span>p\u00ed<\/span> pa)<\/span>. \u2018<\/span>East Wind Breaks<\/span><\/i>\u2019 uses a traditional element of Chinese music, known as the pentatonic scale. <\/span>A pentatonic scale has 5 notes per octave<\/span><\/a>, as oppose to a heptatonic scale that has 7. Heptatonic scales are more commonly found in western style music.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n