Ritual Music in a North China Village The Continuing Confucian and Buddhist Heritage

In 1951, a group of young men from a village, Beixinzhuang which is about 25 km southeast of Beijing, orgainized a music club and started to learn music from a monk in the village. The music was primarily influenced by Confucianism and Buddhism. The author followed the music club for more than two decades. He watched the villagers' gradual adaptation to the music from modern media. The book carefully examines the cultural and social background, local belief, and the club's activities. Professor Du gives vivid accounts about the music played by the villagers, their favorite repertoire and the new modern additions, and the instruments used. A rare timeline of the musical life of a Chinese village.Du, Yaxong is the author of 'Ritual Music in a North China Village The Continuing Confucian and Buddhist Heritage', published 2004 under ISBN 9781880464090 and ISBN 1880464098.