The whole of Chinese music

Started in the mid 1980s by Cui Jian, Chinese rock music exploded to a number of subgenres similar to the Western world. Discover the diverse underground music scene of China, be it Rock, Metal, Punk, Electro, Hip Hop or Folk music. Read more ...

Chinese music has been made since the dawn of Chinese civilization with documents and artifacts providing evidence of a well-developed musical culture as early as the Zhou Dynasty (1122 BC – 256 BC). Today, the music continues a rich traditional heritage in one aspect, while emerging into a more contemporary form at the same time. Watch a Chinese Opera or learn more about the Traditional music of China and its many groups. Read more ...

China's pop music is a loosely defined musical genre by artists originating from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Others come from countries where the Chinese language is used by a large number of the population, such as Singapore and Malaysia. C-pop is sometimes used as an umbrella term covering not only Chinese pop but also R&B, ballads, Chinese rock, Chinese hip hop and Chinese ambient music, although Chinese rock branched off as a separate genre during the early 1990s. Dive into the Cantopop and Mandopop world of Chinese mainstream music. Read more ...

Western classical music made its appearance in China since the beginning of the 20th century and has firmly established itself in the musical education system of China. It is characterized by the use of Western instruments (such as piano or violin) or the use of Western song and orchestra structrures.

Read about the Classical music scene of China, its orchestras, ensembles and major players. Read more ...

Visit our Cities and Provinces categories to drill down into our dataset with a more geographical approach.

• Adaptions of traditional tunes in modern ways
• The Western view of music versus Chinese reality
• What is a song, what is an arrangement?
• What is Chinese?

Read more about these dilemmas and this wiki's way of handling them.

• Media (books, articles, CDs, DVDs, websites or other media)
• Venues all over China
• Research, scientific material about Chinese music
• Downloads of Chinese music (legal and free)
• Events in Chinese music
• A Glossary of Chinese music related terms
• Music Schools in China and other organizations in China