Enjoying the Culture 169Music
If you visit the Shanghai Museum,
there are a set of bells on display
that date back to the Bronze Age.
Each bell is forged to make a
single note, played together the musician could express in
chords of melody. China has a range of unique traditional
instruments, including the erhu, a two-stringed fiddle; the
huqin, a two-stringed viola; a four-stringed banjo called the
yueqin; and a variety of flutes called sanxian, dongxiao and
dizi. It also has a ceremonial trumpet called the suona and
gongs called daluo.
Adoption of modern musical instruments has happened in
China as with the rest of the world. The Chinese are great lovers
of classical music and it is common for visiting symphonies
or the national symphony to be playing on a weekly basis. In
addition, China has a blossoming rock industry, revolutionised
by China’s father of rock, Cui Jian. Most original music is
recorded in Beijing, although many local bands can be heard
on stages across China as they forge their own sound. It is
typical for students of China’s music schools to form their own
bands and play in local pubs and bars. They create a unique
blend of traditional Chinese music and modern rock.
HOBBIES AND INTERESTS
The Chinese have great energy to pursue self-improvement.
Pursuits outside of work are generally viewed as creating a
more well-rounded and intelligent person.
Collecting items of value is a popular hobby in China. At
one time in the early 1990s, one of the largest hobbies among
youths in east China was stamp collecting—there was an
entire street in downtown Shanghai where you could trade
or purchase stamps. More elite collections include traditional
Chinese stones, jades, porcelains, traditional paintings and
calligraphy. Although illegal, collecting dinasoaur eggs, which
can still be unearthed in the Gobi Desert, is a popular hobby.
More participatory hobbies include dance, various forms
of martial arts, calligraphy and a form of stand-up comedy
called cross-talk.
Taiwan and Hong Kong rock stars
are well followed in mainland
China. The most-loved stars are
always featured on Chinese MTV
and Channel V.