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Performing Guangzhou and Guangzhou Ren: analysing popular music in Guangzhou

2014; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 15; Issue: 7 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/14649365.2014.924156

1470-1197

Chen Liu, Xiaomei Cai,

Asian Culture and Media Studies

AbstractThe main purpose of this article is to examine the ways in which popular music in Guangzhou is implicated in the performance of places and identities, and how it is located in Guangzhou. Drawing on the qualitative methods of participant observation and interviews, this research analyses the popular music and musical performances in Guangzhou through three spatial dimensions: the place of Guangzhou, the performance venues and the human bodies. The findings of this research suggest that popular music in Guangzhou sets up the emotional communications and engenders different spaces for the participants to negotiate their embodied identities; popular music and musical performances make the connections between three spatial scales—the place of Guangzhou, the performance venues, and the human body—through its capacity of social mediation and the musical performances articulate the power relations between local residents, the local and national authorities, and the global. This research can be read as a contribution towards the wider literatures on musical performance and the exploration of doing/making place and place-based identity through popular music.Interpreataciones de Guangzhou y Guangzhou Ren: análisis de la música popular en GuangzhouEl objetivo principal de este artículo es examinar las formas en que la música popular en Guangzhou está implicada en el desempeño de lugares e identidades, y cómo se encuentra en Guangzhou. Sobre la base de métodos cualitativos de observación de participantes y entrevistas, esta investigación analiza la música popular y actuaciones musicales en Guangzhou a través de tres dimensiones espaciales: el lugar de Guangzhou, los lugares de actuación y los cuerpos humanos. Los resultados de esta investigación sugieren: la música popular en Guangzhou configura las comunicaciones emocionales y genera diferentes espacios para que los participantes negocien sus identidades corporales; la música popular y actuaciones musicales hacen conexiones entre tres escalas espaciales-el lugar de Guangzhou, los lugares de actuación, y el cuerpo humano-a través de su capacidad de mediación social; y las actuaciones musicales articulan las relaciones de poder entre los residentes locales, las autoridades locales y nacionales y las globales. Esta investigación puede leerse como una contribución a la literatura más amplia sobre la interpretación musical y la exploración de hacer el lugar y la identidad basada en un lugar a través de la música popular.Performance Guangzhou et Guangzhou Ren: analyse de la musique populaire à GuangzhouLe but principal de cet article est d'examiner les façons dont la musique populaire à Guangzhou est impliquée dans la performance des lieux et des identités et comment elle se situe à Guangzhou. En utilisant les méthodes qualitatives d'observation et d'interviews des participants, ces recherches analysent la musique populaire et les performances musicales à Guangzhou à travers trois dimensions spatiales: le lieu de Guangzhou, les lieux de performances et les corps humains. Les conclusions de ces recherches suggèrent que la musique populaire à Guangzhou établit les communications émotionnelles et engendre les différents espaces qui permettent aux participants de négocier l'incarnation de leurs identités; la musique populaire et les performances musicales font le lien entre trois échelles spatiales—le lieu de Guangzhou, les lieux de performances et le corps humain—à travers sa capacité de médiation sociale; les performances musicales expriment les relations de pouvoir entre les riverains, les autorités locales et nationales et le monde global. Ces recherches peuvent être considérées comme une contribution à la documentation plus générale sur la performance musicale et à l'exploration de la création d'espace et d'identité en fonction de l'espace à travers la musique populaire.Keywords:: placeidentitypopular musicmusical performanceGuangzhouChinaKeywords:: lieuidentitémusique populaireperformance musicaleGuangzhouChineKeywords:: lugaridentidadmúsica popularla interpretación musicalGuangzhouChina AcknowledgementsI would like to thank Prof. Lily Kong, Prof. Phil Crang and Dr Xiaobo Su for their suggestions on the early drafts of this article, and the two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments. I am also grateful to all participants of this research.Notes1. The 'open and reform policy' is the nationwide economic reform in the PRC which was established by the Communist Party of China led by Deng Xiaoping in 1978. Its main aim is to establish the strategies of domestically economic reform and internationally opens up in PRC, including opening up of the PRC to foreign investments and making permissions for privatising and contracting out of much state-owned industry. In short, the policy introduced the capital market to socialistic economic development in PRC.2. 'Ren' is Mandarin for 'people'.3. Underground popular music refers to the uncommercial and marginalised popular music which is created and released by musicians, and is rarely emerged in commercial performance nor broadcasted by the mainstream media.4. The Revolution of 1911 is also called the Xinhai Revolution, as the year 1911 was the Xinhai year based on the Chinese lunar calendar. During the first decade of the twentieth century, mass civil disorder had begun and continuously grown in China. At that time, the government of Qing dynasty was politically corrupt and had signed the economically and politically unequal agreements with the foreign colonist. In the year 1911, the Xinhai Revolution which overthrew China's last imperial dynasty (the Qing dynasty) and established the Republic of China broke out.Additional informationFundingThis work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant numbers 41171125; 41201137].