The Yellow River in Music

Lu Zhouxiang’s book is a remarkably original and stimulating account of the Yellow River as a long-running inspiration for musical creativity throughout the broad span of Chinese history. From early rites to imperial court art songs, and from Buddhist bianwen sung narratives to the Piano Concerto newly arranged during the Cultural Revolution, Lu’s analysis explores a strikingly diverse cross-section of music, persuasively showing how Yellow River themes have continued to embody and project Chinese expressions of nationhood and cultural identity.

Jonathan P. J. Stock, Professor of Music, University College Cork and co-editor, The Oxford Handbook of the Music of China and the Chinese Diaspora (2023)

From antiquity to the 21st Century, The Yellow River in Music explores the fascinating history of the Yellow River as cultural touchstone for the long duration of China’s history. Focused on the sonic representations of the river, along with other forms of cultural output, the author traces both continuity and change in what has become the iconographic feature of the Chinese landscape – culturally and geographically. A compelling and multi-faceted excursion into how the enduring power of music to shape historical discourses, symbol-making, and ultimately, identities.

David A. Pietz, Regents Professor of Modern Chinese History, The University of Arizona