20 | Monday, December 24, 2018 LIFE CHINA DAILY HONG KONG EDITION Stage set for growth as music business finds rhythm in China
By CHEN NAN [email protected]
When Zong Xiaojun went to the United States to study as one of the first Chinese students in Miami University with a major in music business and entertainment industries in 1995, he met his pro fessor, Maurice Oberstein, who was also a record company execu tive then. Oberstein told Zong, who back then was his only student from China, that the future of music market lies in China. From left: Prominent scholars Michele Ferrero, Tian Chenshan, Roger T. Ames, Zhang Xiping, David Bartosch and Yang Xusheng look Surprised, Zong asked Oberstein back at SinoWestern cultural exchanges over the past decades at an academic dialogue on China’s 40 years of reform and opening why he thought that. His professor up. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY responded that in his experience of working as the managing director of PolyGram Music, which at the time was home to Cantopop stars such as Alan Tam and Hacken Lee, Zong Xiaojun speaks at the he was impressed by the vibrant Music Industry Forum 2018, music scene and the artists’ popu held in Beijing on Wednesday. A question larity across Asia. During his twoyear stint in the US, Zong — who learned to play 2017 was more than 58 billion the cello at age 5 with his musician yuan ($8.39 billion), an increase of parents and graduated from the 9.6 percent compared with 2016. Central Conservatory of Music in There were more than 520 million of connections Beijing in 1991 — learned about digitalmusic users in China in music business management, a 2017 and the income of the Music subject not widely understood in Copyright Society of China was Scholars look at how the country’s relations with foreign cultures China in the late 90s, and he par over 816 million yuan, an increase ticipated in music conferences to of 17.2 percent yearonyear. have evolved over the past four decades, Fang Aiqing reports. learn the inner workings of the The report also highlights industry. achievements in the development group of scholars recent “I’ve been thinking of what pro of the country’s music industry, ly discussed the cultural fessor Oberstein told me and I including the musicstreaming exchanges that have tak believe he was right,” Zong says, company Tencent Music Enter en place in Beijing over recounting the story at the Music tainment Group’s initial public the past 40 years’ reform and openA Industry Forum 2018, which took offering on the New York Stock ingup. The scholars of social scien place in Beijing on Wednesday. Exchange earlier this month. ces and the humanities were Upon his return to China in The total size of China’s music participating in the academic dia 1997, he had three wishes: to write performance market reached 17.6 logue Retrospect, Connection and a book about the management of billion yuan in 2017 and there were Innovation, held at the Beijing For music industry, to launch his own over 15,000 live music performan eign Studies University. music company and to establish a ces last year, which attracted more Beijing replaced Xi’an, once the university major for music busi than 13.4 million concertgoers and capital of imperial China in ness management in China, teach generated a revenue of nearly 6 Shaanxi province, to be the cultur ing Chinese students just like billion yuan, a rise of 23.4 percent al center of China during the Yuan professor Oberstein had taught over 2016. dynasty (12711368), according to him. “It’s apparent to see that China’s Ouyang Zhesheng, a history pro About two decades later, Zong, music industry is on the healthy fessor at Peking University. And now 50, has realized all three wish road to recovery after years of bat since then Beijing has become an es. He published a book, entitled tling rampant piracy,” says Zhao international metropolis, Ouyang The Secret of the Music Industry, in Zhi’an, vicepresident of the says. 1998. He is the owner of a music School of Music and Recording “Over the past 40 years, we have company, named Music Genera Arts at the Communication Uni been driven by a need to introduce tion, focused on artist manage versity of China. the essence of Western culture, ment and musical copyright In 2015, China’s National Copy hoping to go global,” Ouyang says. issues. In 2001, he launched his right Administration had asked “But now China and the West have university major in music business online musicdelivery platforms to moved to a new stage marked by A group of scholars discuss the cultural exchanges that have taken place in Beijing over the past 40 and art management at the Cen remove all unauthorized songs. dialogues and runins.” years of reform and openingup at the Beijing Foreign Studies University. tral Conservatory of Music, which This is seen as a major move in the American sinologist Roger T. has trained about 120 graduates so fight against rampant piracy in the Ames, an expert on Chinese philos far. industry, he adds. ophy, sees changes in Chinese cul tolerant, says Ferrero. “The prediction of professor Zong also gave a speech about ture now that China has gone David Bartosch, German philos Oberstein has become real now. musical talent training and musi through changes in its politics and opher and a professor at the School The music scene in China is boom cal education during the forum, in its economy. of International Relations and ing and the industry is getting bet which he shared his working expe In Ames’ view, the core of Chi Diplomacy at BFSU, has for years ter and better,” says Zong. rience with the Shanghai Philhar nese philosophy lies in humanity been observing politics and diplo Statistics prove that China’s monic Orchestra over the past and a growing number of the macy, especially China’s relation music industry has developed eight years. younger generation in China are ship with Europe, using a drastically with the changing ways In these years, he has given seeking their future in traditional philosophical perspective. of how people now listen to and about 500 lectures to introduce cultural connotations. He sees the Belt and Road Initia consume music, according to a classical music to audiences, and “Confucianism cannot resolve tive as an inevitable result of the report released at the forum, he has helped to arrange 800 con all the challenges we are facing. development of Eurasian civiliza which was jointly organized by the certs, which have attracted audien However, it should have its place tions and says that in turn Beijing State Administration of Press, ces of all ages. and voice,” says Ames, who will be should and will be more interna Publication, Radio, Film and Tele “Music is about emotions, imagi giving lectures on Taoism at the tional with the progress of BRI. vision, the Communication Uni nation and aesthetics. It connects Free University of Berlin for a Bartosch calls for detailed and versity of China and the Music with people naturally. What we need month from midJanuary. deeper thinking of further policies Industry Promotion Committee. is to build a good business environ Ames sees value in the mutually of reform and openingup. And he The report says the total value of ment, be original and creative,” beneficial thinking rooted in tradi says he hopes that German think China’s digitalmusic industry in Zong says. tional Chinese culture, which in American sinologist Roger T. Ames (left) and Chinese scholar ers will participate. the words of his former graduate Zhang Xiping (right), an expert on cultural exchanges between Zhang Xiping, the director of the student, Tian Chenshan, currently China and the West, attend the academic dialogue. BFSU Academy of Comparative the director of the center for East Civilizations and Intercultural West relations at BFSU, is under Communication, says the presence valued in individualistic ideology. was an iconic figure in the eyes of Michele Ferrero, an Italian Lat of sinologists like Ames shows that Chinese culture takes human the French enlightenment think inist at BFSU, not only teaches Lat Chinese culture is global and that relations, rather than “self”, as the ers during the 18th century, in, but also takes his students to more academic discussions are priority, says Tian. though there was a cultural mis some churches in Beijing to help needed to promote research on it. “We should keep our own cul reading. them gain a more comprehensive Since 2008, Zhang has devoted ture in mind in the first place, and Yang, in the 1990s, studied with picture of Latin culture. himself to studying and publishing then cultivate cultural composure Hans Kung, or Kong Hansi in Chi Every summer, he also takes stu documents on EastWest cultural and be critical in order to better nese, a Swiss philosopher and the dents to visit Rome. exchanges in the Ming (13681644) learn from other cultures,” Tian ologian, who is focused on diverse Though not many people learn and Qing (16441911) dynasties says. religious traditions and seeking a and use Latin these days, a number that are housed at the Vatican Applying Ames’ comparative consent that can be considered as a of Chinese students realize it is the Library and were mainly written by philosophy method, he thinks that basic value for human beings key to Western history, science, missionaries of the time. people should look at the cultural today and in the future. philosophy and religious studies. Zhang says he recently got to roots of each other when trying to According to Yang, Kung found “The Chinese value history,” says know that there is a large number understand another culture as the appropriate expression of the Ferrero. of documents on China in Lyon, well as frequent frictions. value in Confucianism. However, he recognizes the cul France, and wants more support to Yang Xusheng, the director of And Yang says spiritual and cul tural differences between Italy collect and study them. the Center for World Religious and tural exchanges are essential in the and China and stresses it’s diffi Zong Xiaojun (front, center) and his students at the Central Global Ethics at Peking University, future and require open dialogue cult to define an “Italian culture”. Contact the writer at Conservatory of Music in Beijing in late 2017. says Emperor Kangxi (16621722) and mutual learning. So, be careful, but relax and be [email protected] PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY