A History of Chinese Orchestras in Greater China

This book traces the evolution of Chinese orchestra from its inception in 1919 to the present day, focusing on its foundation and development in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

Ming-yen Lee examines the trajectories of the three earliest professional orchestras established after 1949—the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, and the Taipei Chinese Orchestra—and explores how they became institutionalized entities that standardized and professionalized the performance of Chinese music. Over time, these orchestras became cultural sites where shifting identities and traditions were negotiated in response to their respective socio-political environments. Drawing on extensive archival research and fieldwork, Lee investigates three key themes: the diffusion of the Chinese orchestra across Greater China; the impact of geopolitical transformations; and the post-martial law exchanges that reshaped cultural identities in the region.

Offering a pathbreaking account of music, politics, and cultural exchange in twentieth- and twenty-first-century Greater China, this book is a fascinating read for scholars, researchers, and students of East Asian history, Chinese music, cultural studies, and ethnomusicology.