China's Love Affair With the Piano - Coursework Example

Module Chinas Love Affair with the Piano INTRODUCTION China’s love affair with the piano is an embodiment of the country’s Westernization. During Mao Zedong’s reign, when he encouraged his countrymen to go back to traditional Chinese roots and shun the West, the piano was seen as a symbol of Western perversion and evil. However, Mao Zedong is no longer the Premier, and the country’s politics and culture have changed. China is no longer viewed as the unrepentant outcast that refuses to “conform” to Western ideals and modernization. From a critical perspective, the love affair with the piano dovetails with an increase in luxury designer products and an expansion of the upper middle class (Ardley and King 64). Young Chinese are now wearing Gucci and Louis Vuitton, working in high-risk financial segments, and speaking with foreign accents that betray their Chinese roots. The country has changed indeed, and the piano is all part of the mix. Learning the piano is associated with modernization and westernization, and no Chinese youth wants to be left behind by the trend. In this paper, I will discuss China’s love affair with the piano, with emphasis on the dynamics involved and the history and politics of this new phenomenon. DISCUSSION It is true that a majority of young Chinese are enrolling for piano lessons. However, it is good to question whether they are doing it out of love or if they are succumbing to pressure from their parents. If parents are putting them under pressure to learn the piano, then they must also be feeling some pressure. Due to the gradual but impactful Westernization of Chinese youth, upper-middle-class parents probably realize that their children might lag behind others if they do not stay abreast of trends (Mackerras 57). Although the piano’s popularity in the West has been on the wane for some time now, largely due to the domination of electronic instruments, more extracurricular activities, and the Internet, Chinese minors, and youth have developed such a high affinity for the instrument that the country has emerged as the world’s most robust piano market. In 2012 alone, the country produced almost 400,000 pianos, accounting for 77 percent of the world total (Mackerras 34). It also imported around 115,000 pianos in the same year, which was an annual increase of roughly 167 percent on 2011. Of the roughly 400,000 pianos manufactured in 2012, a measly 50,000 were exported (Brindley 16). The statistics are very revealing because one would expect that it would export more pianos than it sells locally. This shows that many Chinese are using the piano; they are buying the instrument in such high numbers that less than 25 percent are exported. Currently, it is estimated that around 5 million Chinese children and youths are learning the piano, a significant number for a country that is yet to be truly westernized. Between 2007 and 2012, the average price for a piano in China went up from 13,000 Yuan to 18,000 (Lane 48). The purchasing power of the average Chinese has increased over the years. In fact, in the past 30 years, more Chinese have been able to afford luxury goods that were not accessible to them in previous decades. Better financial situations have transformed the piano, which was previously a luxury product for a majority of Chinese, more affordable for most households. This can explain its current rise in popularity and its increasing appeal among young and middle-aged Chinese. The instrument, which most Chinese view as a graceful musical instrument, has now morphed into a product of utmost priority for parents. They see it as something that their children must have in order to acquire the legitimacy that is so often associated with modernization and Westernization. The piano is a gateway to acceptance among China’s new elites, and parents want to ensure their children belong to the “right” classes. China’s growing Westernization has produced a generation of young people who are excelling in Western-themed activities (Mackerras 86). This generation’s impact cannot be underestimated because it is the role model for the millions of youths who want to look and feel “fancy.” Interestingly, even parents who used to consider things like learning the piano to be trivial and meaningless, now use these role models to inspire their children to take piano lessons. More Chinese children are now performing well in international competitions, borrowing their motivation from other youths from other countries who are well-acquainted with musical instruments. Success stories like Lang Lang are now poster boys for Chinese youth, and parents who want their children to break new ground in piano playing. Parents now exhibit more passion for children’s piano sessions and want to ensure that they succeed and become the next best piano players from the country. Currently, China hosts hundreds of prestigious piano events and competitions annually. These competitions are organized by professional bodies, firms, and the government. The impact of politics on China’s new love affair with the piano cannot be overlooked (Wetzel 26). The Chinese government has made its mission to gain acceptance in the international arena. One of the ways it has tried be legitimized is to ensure that Chinese children and youth take part in as many international events as possible. This has led the government to support parents, schools and children in order to show Western critics that it can excel in their specialties. The Chinese government also uses these international competitions to further its foreign policy strategies, which have evolved from shutting out Western influence to seeking acceptance on the world stage. The government has made music and art important components of basic public education. In addition, private learning institutions like universities, primary schools, and high school are now offering piano lessons. Making piano lessons virtually part of the syllabus at primary, high school, and college levels have increased the popularity of pianos. Moreover, it has shattered the myths surrounding the instrument by rubbishing the concept that the piano is a Western device that is pervasive, corruptive, and should only be used by Westerners (Brindley 51). To demonstrate that the Chinese government is playing a huge role in popularizing the piano, we need to consider that even in Western countries where the piano occupies a central place in music and culture, learning it is a matter of individual choice; the Chinese government has made it compulsory. Thanks to efforts by the Chinese government, the Central Conservatory of Music, which never had a piano department up to 2011, is currently an all-Steinway institution. Research reveals that most parents feel that their children ought to learn the piano because it is a skill that is important in social competition. The least common logic was that children naturally love music, and the piano is just an expression of that musical love. Since Chinese parents are so keen on their children learning the piano, they are the inspiration for Chinese youth’s growing interest in the instrument. In the West, children have the right to choose whether or not they want to learn a particular musical instrument (Li 36). However, in China parents decide for their children. This has led some children to take piano lessons and grading exams in order to get certificates and please their parents. In the process, they forget to enjoy the music and to play the instrument. For most Chinese, owning a Steinway piano, the ultimate symbol of luxury in the piano industry, is a status symbol. Merely having a piano in the house, especially the living room, is a representation of wealth, learning, and culture. An important point to consider here is that only spacious homes can accommodate the grandest pianos, so the more luxurious it is, the more explicit its denotation of wealth. It is crucial to consider the piano as a tool the Chinese government uses to vindicate itself and to project its image beyond its borders. China’s growing presence as a military and economic power has been dismissed by Western scholars for the last two decades. The Chinese government and Chinese people have always felt that despite their country being a superpower, according to their standards, it has been denied recognition by Western media and critics. The country’s economy has been growing steadily for the last decade, and this has spawned a large middle class that can easily spend $1,500 on a luxury piano (Lee 42). China is using the piano to impose itself on the international stage, and it has scored major points in this regard. It has managed to attract prestigious Western companies and personalities to the country, enthralling them with its interest in the instrument and the resources it is willing to dedicate to ensure that as many Chinese as possible learn it. The Chinese government is getting back at the West by working hard to beat it at its own game, and the plan seems to be working thus far. A paradigm shift in Chinese society, which is a byproduct of the Westernization process, has also contributed to the growing popularity of the piano. Historically, Chinese society has been very conservative and strict in its practices and beliefs. For example, pursuing music as a career has never been considered a “legitimate” profession in the old Chinese society. However, increasing exposure to contemporary practices has led to a change in such perceptions. Learning to play the piano professionally and using it to support oneself can take up to 10 years, while studying for an undergraduate degree takes just four years (Wetzel 31). In the past, parents considered music to be a waste of time, but now it is an acceptable profession that can sufficiently cater for the needs of any family. The acceptance of art and music as respectable and admirable careers has sparked major interest in instruments like the piano, and this has led to its growing popularity. Ultimately, the piano will remain China’s favorite musical instrument until another replaces it. In all likelihood, the replacement will also be associated with the West. CONCLUSION From the discussion, it is clear why Chinese have taken such a keen interest in the piano. An embodiment of prestige, wealth, progress, exposure, and economic might, the piano is currently the most important musical instrument in China. It has given the Chinese government a new arena in which it can flex its muscles, and provided the country’s citizenry with another route to cultivate an appealing image in the international stage. In summary, it is safe to say that the piano means so many things to the Chinese. Since it started warming up to Westernization, the government and the public have grasped at any Western practice that they can manipulate to their advantage, and learning the piano is of these practices. The trend will probably evolve to another instrument as time goes, but for now, the piano is the king of musical instruments in China. Works Cited Ardley, Neil, & Dave King. Music. Illustrated ed. New York: DK, 2013. Print. Brindley, Erica. Music, Cosmology, and the Politics of Harmony in Early China. Illustrated ed. Albany: State U of New York, 2013. Print. Lane, Elizabeth. China Quest. Toronto: Open Road Media, 2014. Print. Lee, Wendy. Chinese Composers, Western Piano Works: Unpacking Aspects of Musical Influence. Saarbrucken, Germany: AV Akademikerverlag, 2012. Print. Li, Xiaoming, ed. Education in China: Cultural Influences, Global Perspectives and Social Challenges. Beijing: Nova Science, Incorporated, 2013. Print. Mackerras, Colin. The Performing Arts in Contemporary China. Reprint ed. London: Routledge, 2013. Print. Wetzel, Richard D. The Globalization of Music in History. New York: Ashgate, 2013. Print. Read More