Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 From Antiquity to the Tang Dynasty
The pre-Qin period: Yu the Great, the River God and Book of Poetry
Han dynasty Music Bureau
Military-themed lyric poetry in the Three Kingdoms period
Northern and Southern dynasties: ‘The Ballad of Mulan’ and ‘Yellow River Runs Clear’
The Tang golden age of poetry: The Yellow River comes from the sky
Conclusion
Chapter 3 The Song, Jin and Yuan Dynasties
The Song dynasty: Zaju, narrative singing and Ci lyrics
The Jin dynasty: The Yellow River and ethnic integration
The Yuan dynasty: ‘The Yellow River will one day run clear’
Conclusion
Chapter 4 The Ming and Qing Golden Age of Folk Song and Drama
The Ming dynasty
The early and high Qing period
The late Qing period: Yellow River, nationalism and revolution
Conclusion
Chapter 5 The Republic of China Era: Defend the Yellow River
Five races, one union, by the great rivers and mountains
The New Culture Movement – new dramas, new songs
The May Fourth Movement: ‘Rivers and mountains in tears’
The March 18 Massacre and the Jinan Incident: ‘The Hard Road’
The Japanese invasion of Manchuria: ‘Enemies approaching the Yellow River’
The War of Resistance against Japan: ‘Defend the Yellow River’
The Civil War: ‘Crimson River’
Conclusion
Chapter 6 The Socialist Era: Transform the Yellow River
‘Ode to the Motherland’
‘We Must Transform the Yellow River’
Yellow River Cantata – revolutionary classic and diplomatic tool
The Anti-Rightist Campaign and the Great Leap Forward: ‘Shake Mountains and Rivers’
‘Follow me! Let’s cross the Yellow River!’
The Cultural Revolution
The post-Cultural Revolution era: The fall of Yellow River Piano Concerto
Conclusion
Chapter 7 The Era of Reform and Opening-up: The Yellow River Flows into the Ocean
The 1980s: The Great Wall never falls, The Yellow River rolls on
The 1990s: The Yellow River flows into the ocean
The 21st century: The Yellow River is our home
Conclusion
Conclusion: The Yellow River, Music and Identity
The Yellow River and the making of cultural identity in dynastic China
The Yellow River, music and the formation of modern China
Biography
Lu Zhouxiang is an Associate Professor within the School of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures at National University of Ireland Maynooth, Ireland.
Lu Zhouxiang’s book is a remarkably original and stimulating account of the Yellow River as a long-running inspiration for musical creativity throughout the broad span of Chinese history. From early rites to imperial court art songs, and from Buddhist bianwen sung narratives to the Piano Concerto newly arranged during the Cultural Revolution, Lu’s analysis explores a strikingly diverse cross-section of music, persuasively showing how Yellow River themes have continued to embody and project Chinese expressions of nationhood and cultural identity.
Jonathan P. J. Stock, Professor of Music, University College Cork and co-editor, The Oxford Handbook of the Music of China and the Chinese Diaspora (2023)
From antiquity to the 21st Century, The Yellow River in Music explores the fascinating history of the Yellow River as cultural touchstone for the long duration of China’s history. Focused on the sonic representations of the river, along with other forms of cultural output, the author traces both continuity and change in what has become the iconographic feature of the Chinese landscape – culturally and geographically. A compelling and multi-faceted excursion into how the enduring power of music to shape historical discourses, symbol-making, and ultimately, identities.
David A. Pietz, Regents Professor of Modern Chinese History, The University of Arizona
