What kind of music does Taiwan listen to?

Taiwanese opera is popular among the Hakka, and has influenced the tea-picking opera genre. The most distinctive form of Hakka music are mountain songs, or shan’ge, which are similar to Hengchun folk music. Bayin instrumental music is also popular.

Is there such thing as C-pop?

C-pop is 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 diverged during the early 1990s. There are currently three main subgenres within C-pop: Cantopop, Mandopop and Hokkien pop.

What are the characteristics of traditional Chinese music?

All traditional Chinese music is melodic rather than harmonic. Chinese vocal music probably developed from sung poems and verses with music. Instrumental pieces played on an erhu or dizi are popular, and are often available outside of China, but the pipa and zheng music, which are more traditional, are more popular in China itself.

What is the most popular musical instrument in China?

Instrumental pieces played on an erhu or dizi are popular, and are often available outside of China, but the pipa and zheng music, which are more traditional, are more popular in China itself. The qin is perhaps the most revered instrument in China, even though very few people know what it is or seen and heard one being played.

Is Chinese music adopted to the best standard possible?

Twentieth-century cultural philosophers like Xiao Youmei, Cai Yuanpei, Feng Zikai and Wang Guangqi wanted to see Chinese music adopted to the best standard possible. There were many different opinions regarding the best standard.

Why does Chinese music sound discordant to Westerners?

Westerners often find such music tranquil or meditative. Traditional musicians playing a variety of instruments in large ensembles or orchestrastend to sound discordant because Westerners expect more harmony in such performances. The Chinese pentatonic scale itself has sound frequencies that seem a little cacophonic to Westerners.