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The voices of the voiceless: the Cantonese opera music community in Guangzhou, China

Ah Li Cheung (Max Planck Institut für ethnologische Forschung, Halle, Germany)

Asian Education and Development Studies

ISSN: 2046-3162

Article publication date: 16 July 2019

Issue publication date: 18 September 2019

250

Abstract

Purpose

Since Cantonese opera was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009, the Chinese government has carried out different policies to “develop” Cantonese opera in Guangzhou. Through state-initiated reforms, the local performing art was homogenized, institutionalized and nationalized in many ways. In this process, the government authorities took the lead and the Cantonese opera music community was not involved in the decision making of the future of their own tradition. This paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on intensive fieldwork conducted in 2011, the paper examines the meaning of heritage to the local music community, as the art form was recognized by UNESCO in 2009. Apart from studying the policies made by the government, this paper looks into the socio-political impact brought to the Cantonese opera music community from a bottom-up perspective.

Findings

Cantonese opera performances in Guangzhou as well as performers’ own social life changed drastically in recent years. Musicians faced a dilemma of whether to follow the government’s market-oriented plan or to preserve their traditional lifestyle with their own initiative.

Originality/value

This paper reveals the voices of the “voiceless” music community and investigates the consequences resulted by the heritagization of the art form to the music community.

Keywords

Citation

Cheung, A.L. (2019), "The voices of the voiceless: the Cantonese opera music community in Guangzhou, China", Asian Education and Development Studies, Vol. 8 No. 4, pp. 443-453. https://doi.org/10.1108/AEDS-02-2018-0049

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited

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