From Shanghainese pops and Northwest Wind to China Wind: the identity and connotation of Chinese style popular music

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Li, Na (2018). From Shanghainese pops and Northwest Wind to China Wind: the identity and connotation of Chinese style popular music. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

How audiences perceive Chineseness and the characteristics that perform this impression have become an increasingly important factor in contemporary Chinese musical discourse. Over the last century, the interaction between national and international perspectives has played a vital role in the production, spread and reception of Chinese style popular music in the Greater Chinese community.

This thesis is a reception-based study. It draws on ethnography, reception theory, online/archival resources and musical and textual analysis in an attempt to reveal the identities and connotations of the concept of Chinese style in popular music, based on three case studies: Shanghainese Pops, Northwest Wind and China Wind. The six main chapters, in addition to the Introduction and Conclusion, are divided into two strands: Music and Identity (Part I), and Gender and Performance (Part II).

This research takes audience as its key subject in examining Chinese popular music through ethnographic investigations. It aims to fill in the gap left by previous (ethno)musicological research on China, by showing various links between popular music, local culture and social life, thus deepening the perception and understanding of Chinese (style) popular music.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):