Aesthetic characteristics of twentieth-century Chinese women's music

Chinese women's music, as a branch of China's traditional musical culture, has shaped its aesthetic characteristics in close relationship with gender culture, social ethics, and power structures. The evolution of the aesthetic characteristics of Chinese women's music is essentially a story of the interaction of gender discourse and musical semiotics. This cultural practice reflects both the social power structures of specific historical periods and the agency of women in artistic creation. The aesthetic characteristics of Chinese women's music show dual tension: on the one hand, formal norms are formed under the influence of Confucian ethical discipline, characterized by the principle of "Yin gentleness"; on the other hand, through technological innovations and the awakening of subjectivity, a stable expression develops in the intervals of the ritual system. From the individual narrative of the musical and poetic works of Yuefu of the Han era (112 BC) to the artistic self-awareness of the court musical institutions (jiaofang) of the Tang era (618-907), this process culminated in the 20th century with the modern transformation from a "ritual instrument" to an "artistic instrument." The article consists of four parts: the first part is devoted to the basic concepts of women's music. The second part is devoted to the aesthetics of women's music in the system of rituals and music. The third part is devoted to the aesthetic construction of women's music of the XX century. The fourth part is devoted to the duality of aesthetic characteristics of Chinese women's music. In conclusion, the author considers that the transformation of the aesthetic qualities of women's music represents not only a renewal of the artistic form, but also acoustic evidence of the transformation of gender power relations in Chinese society, offering a unique aesthetic dimension for understanding the modernization of traditional culture.

women's music, Chinese culture, music, aesthetic characteristics, gender culture, aesthetic construction, musical anthropology, China, culture, female