Introduction
By continually taking one of the leading positions globally throughout decades, China has always remained its strong influence on world history and its development. Ancient China is considered to be the carrier of the oldest extant culture across the globe. Moreover, its origin and implications still deeply pervade the modern cultural identity of China and its population worldwide (Miller). By investigating the musical expressions of the Chinese culture and the world’s oldest and most significant network of trade routes, one can experience the core of the cultural heritage of China and its impact today. This essay will examine the diversity of musical language, mind, and spirit of Chinese folklore, along with the legendary Silk Road, to understand the economic, cultural, political, and religious synergy between the East and West.
Explaining the Geography
As one of the greatest civilizations, the Chinese cities and agricultural centers were built across the rivers and lakes, which is why the names of many regions reflect the key geographical characteristics of the territory. Due to its vast territory with an area of 9.6 million km2, China has a diverse terrain, including rugged plateaus, foothills, and mountains. As such, it was crucial to unite these different regions into one coherent political system to establish the empire and ensure the vital transportation structure. Therefore, China has more than one gateway city, including “Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou” (Miller 189). More specifically, Beijing is the capital and the center of government and culture, while Shanghai is the largest city in the country and commercial hub, and Guangzhou is the most globalized city. The last two metropolises are significant regions of industry, trade, and banking that determine China’s contemporary presence in the global arena.
Political System and Population
China’s cultural, religious, and political background directly depends upon the critical distinction between its northern and southern parts. Miller defines the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) as the turning point in China’s history, promoting rigorous social and political turmoil, which has also impacted the development of musical culture (190). For instance, music was a crucial asset of representing the core values of Chinese society and ethical consideration of Confucianism, including “restraint, order, balance, subtlety, and hierarchy” (Miller 194). Some of the musical arrangements, jianpu, were adopted from the Western regions, such as France; however, the cultural roots of this Asian region were deeply embedded in the religious beliefs and considerations. Nowadays, China applies the unitary political system, although it is still regarded as a communist country ruled by one political party. The country has the highest multiethnic population on Earth and the second-largest economy. From a historical perspective, the Chinese population has increased more the twice since the 1950s.
The Silk Road
The Silk Road is a phenomenal historical, economic, political, and cultural part of China’s establishment throughout the centuries. It was a substantial, international trade network connecting the East and West, connecting China and Europe with the beginning in the city Xi’an. The Silk Road mainly implies the land routes, although it also refers to the sea connections, uniting East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Persia, the Arabian Peninsula, East Africa, and Southern Europe. Hence, it was a critical approach to producing trade and commerce between many different nations and empires to facilitate new ideas, enhance the culture, and access unique goods throughout the road. As noted by Langford, the Silk Road has contributed to diverse, multicultural China today because of the spread of different religions and values throughout the decades.
Furthermore, if the Silk Road would never exist, there would not be a Hui minority Muslim group in China. The population of Xi’an encompasses “Arabians, Central Asians, and Iranians,” who brought Islam “religion, culture, and medicine” to China (Langford). It is a unique aspect of China’s historical and cultural development. Moreover, another essential religion during the Silk Road was Buddhism, however, with a unique flavor shaped by the diverse territorial influence and a point of intersection between Western and Eastern Buddhism. As such, the Silk Road was a critical alliance of Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and Islam, shaping the modern culture of the cities included in the route.
Conclusion
The contemporary outlook of China can be in-depth analyzed through its prolonged history and cultural evolvement, shaped by the neighboring kingdoms and empires and the international trade. Music and politics were considered closely tied concepts, wherein the musical language of the empire had significant ethical power impacting society’s mind. The country’s severe political transformation and further growth were unfeasible without firmly entrenched traditions, values, beliefs, and religion. During Cultural Revolution, Chinese society was permeated with revolutionary music, propaganda, opera, and prohibited traditional culture. Currently, the Chinese population comprises economically liberalized people; however, the traditional roots face the prevailing pressure of the pop culture. The phenomenon of the Silk Road has contributed to the modern leading role of China and its beneficial connections with the world. It played a pivotal role in defining the current political and economic image of China, Korea, Japan, India, Iran, Europe, and the Horn of Africa and Arabia.
Works Cited
“The Chinese Silk Road – Episode 1 – The Journey Begins | Travel China.” YouTube, uploaded by Graeme Langford. 2017, Web.
Miller, Terry E., and Andrew Shahriari. World Music: A Global Journey. 4th ed., Routledge, 2016.