Aesthetic Discourse Foundation of"Chinese School of Music"

The "Chinese School of Music" represents a systematic theoretical construct advanced by China's music community out of cultural self-awareness, aiming to establish a musical discourse system with Chinese characteristics. Its aesthetic framework is rooted in traditional Chinese aesthetics, informed by Western aesthetics, and guided by Marxist aesthetics - the three elements jointly shape its unique identity. Traditional Chinese aesthetics constitute its core features. Ideas including the Confucian notion of "harmony in moderation", the Taoist concept of "natural spontaneity", and the Zen pursuit of "ethereal spaciousness" have forged its distinctive musical aesthetics.

Such traditions achieve creative transformation through modern compositional techniques, exemplified by the ink-wash artistic conception embodied in Tan Dun's symphonic works. The critical assimilation of Western music theories enables Chinese music to attain international expressive power while retaining its national identity. Marxist aesthetics, meanwhile, defines the social-function dimension of art, and the legacy of revolutionary music manifests the contemporaneity and populist character of music.

The construction of the "Chinese School of Music" is confronted with dual tensions: the vertical tension between traditional inheritance and modern innovation, and the horizontal tension between indigenous features and international expression. This tension-driven structure fuels the innovative development of Chinese music. Future efforts should continue to explore pathways for modern interpretations of traditional music and in-depth dialogues between Chinese and Western aesthetics.

This theoretical undertaking bears significance not only for building China's musical discourse system but also serves as a vital channel for enhancing national cultural soft power. By synthesizing traditional cultural resources, Western experiences and Marxist methodologies, the "Chinese School of Music" is taking shape as a musical-aesthetic system with distinct indigenous characteristics.

Hu Nan, a Doctor of Philosophy, is a postdoctoral fellow at the China Conservatory of Music, a lecturer at the University of Science and Technology Beijing, a member of the China Association of Art Critics, and a researcher at the China Music Research Base. His research fields are music aesthetics and ethnomusicology. More than ten academic papers have been published in journals such as "Chinese Music" and "Chinese Literary and Artistic Criticism". Participated in the writing of 4 books; He has undertaken the sub-project of the National Social Science Foundation of China's Major Project in Art Studies, titled "Contemporary Practical Research on the Freehand Spirit of Music". He has also participated in the Major Project of the National Social Science Foundation of China in Art Studies, "Research on Chinese Schools of Music", the general Project of the National Social Science Foundation of China in Art Studies, "Research on the Music Culture of the Datong Huqin in the Middle and Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River", and "Research on the History of Traditional Music in Hunan". As well as humanities and social science projects of the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Education, etc.