Author Archives: Danwei

Utopia, Maoist discussion forum, shut down for a month

Posted on 2012-04-06 by Danwei

The following notice was posted to the Utopia website (乌有之乡), a popular leftist, nationalist discussion forum. This morning, the Ninth Bureau of the State Council Information Office, the Beijing Municipal Network Management Office, and the Beijing Municipal PSB Network Security … Continue reading →

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Teen digital habits in Beijing and Palo Alto

Posted on 2011-12-06 by Danwei

In August and September 2011, Danwei worked with the Stanford Program on Regions of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SPRIE) on a survey of the digital and media habits of high school students born in 1993 and 1994. The results were presented … Continue reading →

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The ruan (zhongruan)

Posted on 2011-09-15 by Danwei

The ruan (阮) or moon guitar is a four-stringed Chinese instrument similar to the pipa. It is also sometimes called the qin pipa (秦琵琶) and ruanxian (阮咸). The most common ruan is the zhongruan (中阮) or tenor ruan. The bass ruan … Continue reading →

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The dizi

Posted on 2011-06-29 by Danwei

The dizi (笛子) is one of China’s oldest instruments. Similar- though not identical to- the Western flute, the dizi probably originated around 8,000 years ago and remains ubiquitous in contemporary China. Early dizi were made from bone but bamboo became … Continue reading →

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Paper Boy: A contemporary composition for the guzheng

Posted on 2011-06-09 by Danwei

This track is Paper Boy, composed and performed on the guzheng by Wu Fei:  You can buy Paper Boy as a single on Amazon and iTunes (for 99 cents). • See also The guzheng on Danwei.

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The guzheng

Posted on 2011-06-09 by Danwei

The guzheng is a 21-stringed zither that has been played in China – in one form or another – for about two thousand years. Aside from having 21 strings (compared to the guqin‘s 7 strings), the guzheng’s other major difference from … Continue reading →

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The guqin

Posted on 2011-06-08 by Danwei

The guqin, also just called the qin and sometimes “the scholar’s lute” in English, is perhaps the most Chinese of all instruments. As qin performer and scholar John Thompson puts it: The guqin throughout its long history has been the musical … Continue reading →

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Chinese drums

Posted on 2011-06-08 by Danwei

Drums and percussion instruments have been used in China since at least the Shang Dynasty (1562-1066 BC) when their use was recorded on oracle bones. In this video, Wang Jun (王军) does some improvised drumming on the flower pot (花盆鼓) … Continue reading →

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New uses for old Chinese instruments

Posted on 2011-06-08 by Danwei

Here are some videos showing musicians using traditional instruments to play all kinds of new music. If you cannot watch any of these videos, please complain to your local Internet provider or your government about censorship or slow connection speeds. … Continue reading →

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The pipa

Posted on 2011-06-07 by Danwei

The pipa (琵琶) is a pear-shaped type of lute with four strings. It’s one of the most common Chinese musical instruments – varieties of pipa have been played in China for about two thousand years. Like many instruments now considered … Continue reading →

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