Music CDs cost one to two dollars in China, and that's for originals, not pirated copies. (In the US, you pay ten times that; it's purely what the market will bear.) I've ripped a few tracks to *.wma files, which you can download here to get a sample of traditional Chinese music. The downloads will take a long time if you don't have high-speed internet access, but the wait will be worthwhile. You can play the downloads in Windows Media Player or the equivalent. |
| download
(4.5 Mbytes) |
Classical Chinese musical instruments are grouped into eight types according to material: metal, stone, string, bamboo, clay, wood, gourd, and leather. Listen for the different types of instruments in this piece. |
| download (3.0 Mbytes) |
Chinese ceremonial and sacred music goes back at least 3,000 years. This piece from the Zhou Dynasty (1050 BC to 256 BC) was played while the Emperor offered sacrifices at the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Keep in mind that this incredibly beautiful and sophisticated music was composed when my European ancestors were still wearing bearskins and digging for roots with sticks. |
| download (2.6 Mbytes) |
The "Miscellaneous" photo section has a picture of the bronze bells recovered from the tomb of the Marquise Yi of Zeng, who died in 433 B.C. This piece is played on the original bells, now located at the Wuhan Provincial Museum. |
| download (4.4 Mbytes) |
The Erhu (meaning "two strings") is an ancient instrument played with a bow that goes in between the two silk strings. You can see a picture of a man playing one in the "Lhasa, Tibet" photo section. I bought the CD with this track from the musician after hearing him play in Chendu. The song is called "Riding on the Great Grassland." |
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