A Brief Introduction to the Definition of China Traditional Music

"China traditional music" is a modern concept. The definition of "traditional music" is uncertain for a long time because of the boundary and intersection between music categories (even so, it does not affect our overall understanding of China traditional music). Looking up the book Introduction to National Music (edited by China Music Research Institute), it is said that "National music has formed five categories of traditional music in the long-term historical development: songs, song and dance music, rap music, opera and instrumental music." (1) This is a broader definition. With the deepening of people's research on traditional music and the progress of understanding, this definition is more clear and detailed.