Chinese Women and Culture - Essay Example

? s School Chinese Women & Culture The recent developments on China portray a comparatively liberal image of the women than was possible some decades ago. Not too far off in history, in fact if a critical analysis is made for the 1980`s and the 1990`s both the authorities in China as well as the traditional Chinese society were resistant to the growth of feminist attitudes. The traditional ancient Chinese rituals and belief systems though still prevalent to some extent in China adds to the limitations that women have to face to contribute significantly to the Chinese cultures and traditions. 1990`s however opened doors towards acceptance to the fact that women can also significantly contribute to the cultural development in China. 12 Girls Band is one of the most prominent bands of the modern century which reflect modernism and liberalism, at the same time the commitment to the preservation of traditional values in China. Founded in 2001, this band constitutes of 13 girl members (12 originally,) who play a variety of traditional instruments specific to the Chinese glory and traditions, at the same time blending the folk music with modern one producing unique and trendy pieces portraying a modern image of China not just at home, but also abroad. With the opening of market in the late 1990`s, China`s economy started to boom as markets expanded and modernized. Cultural values, however, didn’t saw as immense of a change but some level of change was inevitable and 12 Girls Band is the product of this change. Thus, 12 Girls Band is symbolic for women empowerment, the ability for Chinese to preserve their traditional legacies, portraying a liberal yet sophisticated image of Chinese woman throughout the world. All members of the 12 Girls Band are thus Ambassadors to China who have positively affected the cultural variables in China at home and abroad. To understand China in the modern context, it is crucial to analyze the role of women in the ancient century as well so that patterns in evolution can be drawn. In the ancient China women were considered to be inferior to men, and all their lives they were expected to obey the male members of the family, thus they had no freedom of their own and their role towards cultural community development was absent. The practice of binding women`s feet is symbolic for the control over women during that century. However, with time when the People`s Republic of China was found the role of women started to change, at least rhetorically and a significant level of independence was gained by the women. It wasn’t until 1979 that the government enacted reforms which enabled women to seek jobs in the market. This was the beginning of the initiation of the contribution of women to art; however the role was still very limited. However, with the cultural revolutions more and more opportunities were produced for the women and the process of evolution began to speed up (Wales 1967). Until the 1990`s the women were significantly contributing economically as well as culturally to the Chinese legacy. During this period, women poetry groups and arts clubs began to emerge and their activities began to enhance rapidly (Descoteaux 2008). The beginning of the new century saw an immense increase in modernization, and thus 12 Girls Band is a product of the modernization and cultural fusion. The band was selected in an audition in 2001, and twelve members later constituting of thirteen members, this band was a unique blend of girls who knew to play diverse range of instruments both modern and traditional in nature. All band members have gone through rigorous trainings in the field, and all of them belong to the conservatories groups which include the China`s Academy of Music, Central Conservatory of Music and the Chinese National Orchestra. The idea behind the concept belongs to Wang Xio-Jing who wanted twelve members for a band and his aim was to promote folk music however make it appealing by adding a modern touch to it. Thus, the women were inspired by the work of Yue Fang who was a prominent artist in the Tang dynasty. He prepared them to produce music which was released in China as well as Japan, though the response in China was also overwhelming but they managed to hit the charts with their debut album in Japan. With time they even released an album in the Eastern America around 2004, and they even managed to produce covers for Coldplay and other popular bands. Thus, the Chinese band eventually became the Ambassadors for China and added to the promotion of the softer image of China around the globe. 1 In 2004, they went for a tour to America where they reached to the 64th position amongst the top 200 artists on the billboard charts. Later they made it for a tour to Canada and even received a Disc Gold Award in 2004 at China. The uniqueness of the band, however, lies in the instruments they play i.e. erhu, pipa, yangqin and even halusi which are the most technical traditional instruments to play. Though their music was more of a pop cultural genre, but the musical instruments added a traditional touch thereby producing a fusion version of the genres they had tried to incorporate. Speaking of the cultural context of the band, since all the band members belonged to the Chinese background the developments surrounding the band are also indicative of many different cultural implications for China, thus these implications need to be critically analyzed and justified. The first conclusion which can be drawn indicates that the popularity and acceptance of a women pop band in China seems to be a product of the economic modernization which China saw during those years. To reap the economic benefits, China had to open up its market for competition and break its isolation from rest of the world. This suggests that Chinese mindset was changing, and it was thus crucial for the Chinese society to replicate the model of modernization. Though the modernization was slow, but a few developments started to take place. Evolution of music and women empowerment were the two of the most prominent developments of the time, and the 12 Girls band are symbolic of both these cultural developments. The traditional music of China is slow and depressing in nature, and this was the only kind of music which the Chinese society had accepted for years. However, the popularity of 12 Girls Band is was unpredictable in this context as it had a tilt towards the pop Genre of music. Though the instruments used by the band members were traditional in nature was the music definitely has modern pop element being a sole characteristic of the music produced by the band. However, the Chinese public not only accepted the music but also welcomed the band by giving a warm response to the music. This reflects that the process of evolution towards modernization has started in China, and if more and more musical bands from the modern genres are going to prevail in China, it is going to contribute to the Cultural Revolution even more rapidly. Secondly, the band has also contributed towards the women empowerment is China, as by setting a trend of pop music for women they have become public figures which other women struggling to evolve within their own fields can follow. Earlier, there was always a hindrance in the way of the women for empowerment and development. Though found in rhetoric they always had their due rights, but socio-cultural variables stopped them from crossing the lines being set for them by the society. But, by giving a public presence in front of a worldwide audience, the 12 Girls Band has significantly changed the scenario. The people residing in China will slowly adapt to the change, and eventually like any other society Chinese society will also lead towards progression amongst women. 12 Girls band is definitely a way forward for the process. China is always perceived as a culturally isolated and a backward society, and the image of the state is that of an authoritarian tyrannical one. Modern elements of change like modern art, modern music, internet evolution and social networking seems to be absent and highly controlled2. However, to survive in the global village the world has turned into, this image needs to change and cultural conditioning needs to be incorporated. Here is where the 12 Girls Band has contributed, i.e. firstly it has portrayed a softer image of China in the world and secondly it is acting as a catalyst in China to promote the cultural evolution being symbolic for the fact that China can`t ignore the modern elements prevailing the world as they are important players amongst the world system. 12 Girls Band has also contributed towards the development and refinement of the music industry, as earlier China was resistant to any other form of music, also the modern methods of music industry were absent. For this reason, the demand of the Chinese artists was never too intense in the world market as the Chinese music being produced was specific to the Chinese audience only. However, 12 Girls Band has showed a new way to other musical productions by implying that with a little change in the music development practices, the musical economy can boom and satisfy the needs of the entire world market. Since the 12 Girls Band is popular the world tours it conducts around America even Canada, not to mention across Asia, they are also contributing towards bringing back the new methods and methodologies being utilized in the more developed states. Thus the band is a huge bargain chip for the Chinese music industry as they are contributing for the progression of the industry so that they can compete with the world market as well. Thus, initially Chinese society was highly resistant to change and the resistance was even more intense during the ancient times. The ancients times saw the repression of women on the hands of the men, thus they were the inferior segment of the society. Eventually, women of China started to get their due rights via rhetoric infliction of legal rights. Since the population of women was an ever increasing one, it was near to impossible to cut their rights out. Eventually, women began realizing their potentials are started contributing in various spheres of life. Soon enough, various women groups started emerging, and 1980`s and 1990`s saw a boom of emerging women groups throughout China however their scope was limited. Selected in an audition in 2001, 12 Girls Band emerged as a significant group of highly talented women, who produced the most amazing music of the century, These women belonged to conservative Chinese background, and were trained in the field of classical music. They knew how to play the most technical musical instrument, classical in nature. However, the band was focused towards the pop genre of music; however the traditional instruments were used. The experiment proved to be successful not only in Japan and China, in fact throughout the world. The group was featured in songs by the most prominent artists of the west, and they even received various awards for their performances. Thus, the group acted as a symbol of change and evolution for the Chinese society as the Chinese women were receiving acknowledgement and appraisal throughout the world. Thus, they became the inspiration for many other Chinese women, who aimed at being empowered in the society, producing a mass cultural effect in the Chinese society. Also, the added the much needed flair to the music industry of China and added elements of modernization to it. Therefore, they became the ambassadors of China throughout the world portraying a softer image of china, thereby adding value to the Chinese culture significantly. References: WALES, N. (1967). Women in modern China. The Hague, Mouton Descoteaux, Andrea. "30 years in the making: Women in China." Thesis Report, 2008. "Chinese Culture Is Also Able to Sing with International Flavor." Chinese Culture Is Also Able to Sing with International Flavor-Alibaba Trade Forums. Web. 10 May 2012. http://resources.alibaba.com/topic/800016492/Chinese_culture_is_also_able_to_sing_with_international_flavor.htm "12 Girls Band: New Ideas of Chinese Folk Music." - China Culture. Web. 10 May 2012. . Read More