Origins 

Music in China has been developing for a very long time. The first writings about music had been attributed to Confucius (551-479 B.C.). In early times, music was used for religious and political purposes, such as in official or military ceremonies.    

Very soon, music became controlled by whoever was in power. Qin emperor (221-207 B.C.) created the Office for Imperial Music, and was in charge of classifying folkloric and popular songs, deciding official music and regulating martial court songs. This office was expanded under Han Wudi's reign (140 to 87 B.C.).     

 However, music was very popular. It was played during ceremony and feasts. Bureaucrats used to be sent into countryside in order to collect new songs to measure the thoughts and feeling of the people.  

Over time, Chinese music opened little by little. Firstly, music from other countries, such as those in Central Asia, were adopted, along with instruments such as the pipa. The way music was used also changed over time, such as the development of opera and theatre. 

  If music has always been important to those in power, it cannot be said that the reverse is true. Musicians have always had a precarious status, despite the creation, in the 8^th Century, of a music academy. Its official goal was to train musicians in order to give solid basis to musical teaching and exchange.  

Opening to West influences

The arrival of western nations and the creation of Concessions at the end of the 19^th Century allowed the introduction of western music to China. During the 1910s, Chinese students returning from abroad inaugurate a new approach to music. This can be seen in the partial adoption of western music annotation, and the creation of symphony orchestras and jazz bands. 
Throughout the 1940s, communist leaders used popular songs to create revolutionary fervour, bound to animate their followers.

Revolutionary withdrawal

After the creation of the PRC in 1949, popular and western music were branded as being "pornographic", and thus forbidden. Only revolutionary songs were allowed. This control reached its climax during the Cultural Revolution with Jiang Qing, Chairman Mao's wife, who decided eight "model songs" on which every opera had to be based.

The post-Mao era

With passing of Mao Zedong in 1976, synthesizer and electronic music started to be come more popular among Chinese youth. They remained quite popular throughout the 1980s. On top of that, "Mandopop" (pop music with mandarin lyrics) and "Cantopop" (pop music with Cantonese lyrics) reached China from Taiwan and Hong Kong. Gradually PRC singers joined in. Today, South Korea and Japan singers are also very popular in China.

Rock music became popular in China at the end of the 80s, due in large part to Cui Jian, nicknamed "the Godfather of Chinese Rock", Heibao (Black Panthers) and "Tang Dynasty". During the 90s, other musical styles, such as electronic music, appeared on Chinese musical scene. 

Specificities

Traditional Chinese music tends to mainly use the pentatonic style, meaning that melodies only have a five notes scale only.
Chinese music is separated into different categories depending on instruments used. Sizhu yue (string and wind instruments), xiansuo yue (string instruments), chuida yue (percussion and wind instruments) and luogu yue (gongs and drums).
Music was usually played solo or by a small band, however, sometimes big orchestras played imperial music. Bands did not use scores, and there was no conductor. Numerous orchestras and bands from all over China play folkloric and classical music. Due to the country's vast size, regional differences are quite distinct. Most of ethnic minorities also have their own types of music.   

Instruments

Classification

Traditionally, instruments are divided into eight types depending on their material: skin, calabash, bamboo, wood, silk, clay, metal and stone.
They could also be classified into four categories: wind, percussion, plucked and chafed strings.

The guzheng is a very ancient plucked stringed instrument, and is over 2000 years old. It is a kind of zither with twenty-one strings and a removable bridge on the standard version. Other versions have from between five and twenty six strings (modern version). Strings were originally made of silk, but they are now in nylon or metal. Originally used in bands and orchestras, nowadays, it's mainly used as a solo instrument. 

The erhu, part of the chafed strings category, and was introduced to China 1000 years ago, from Central-Asia. It has two strings, and is chafed by a bow. Very popular in Mongolia, it was used to accompany vocals and instrumental music, such as opera. During the 20^th Century, it's used in solo music has been developed.   

The pipa, a four stringed zither, is part of the plucked strings family. It was created 2000 years ago, and its use was popularised during the Tang dynasty. It quickly became a very fashionable instrument.

A flute made of bamboo, the dizi is a wind instrument. It is one of the most ancient instruments of China, created between the 17^th and the 11^th Centuries B.C. Some sources place it even earlier than that. Normally it has twelve holes, but there is a large variety of styles. It is popular in northern China, in popular music, operas and modern orchestras.