The Western Classical Music Industry in Twenty-First Century China: A Dialectical Crescendo (Routledge Research in Music)

Weida Wang explores how Western classical music (WCM) has become increasingly popular in China, framing the industry as a complex entity intricately embedded within China’s political landscape, cultural economy, and cultural industries.Wang highlights how authorities and organisers strive to build powerful brands to support the industry’s growth, aiming to tap into the vast domestic market and showcase China’s achievements in WCM on the global stage as part of broader cultural diplomacy efforts.The study delves into the mechanisms and underlying logics driving the rapid expansion of the WCM market in contemporary China. With the rise of China’s economy since its government’s late-1970s economic and political reform, WCM has become a useful tool for showcasing changes to the image of ‘modern’ and ‘contemporary’ China.At the same time, a new Chinese middle class, following the rapid economic (and cultural) development in China’s coastal cities, has also emerged, becoming a substantial de