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[1Z128] The Piano Fever in China
Keywords:China , Children and Parents Relationship , Human Security , Piano , Freedom
This research aims to investigate the differing perceptions of the piano between children and parents in China's middle and upper classes. The number of piano students in China has surged from an estimated one million in the 1980s to an astounding 40 to 50 million in the 2010s, indicating a deep-rooted and expanding piano culture (Bai, 2021; Wassenberg, 2019). This phenomenon, initially referred to as the "piano craze" by Chinese media in the 1990s, continues to flourish, significantly impacting the production and importation of pianos, as well as the instrument's prestigious status in modern urban China.
In the past few decades, China has undergone rapid development, which has undoubtedly influenced the lives of individuals and reshaped their perspectives on daily life. Learning the piano is no longer a privilege but a common phenomenon in modern Chinese society. For many children, learning the piano seems to have become their first choice when it comes to learning an instrument, often driven by parental pressure. The piano has become a symbol of success rather than enjoyment. The long hours of practice and peer pressure place a huge burden on children, even though they are not pursuing it professionally.
Moreover, this dynamic can, to some extent, strain the relationship between parents and children, as it consumes their free time without their consent, reducing opportunities for them to explore their own interests and act on their own behalf (Human Security Now, 2003).
Learning piano symbolizes the individual’s freedom to make his or her own choice, a key human security proposition. Given this proposition, I would like to explore the widening popularity among the Chinese youths about picking up piano lessons in a society which only a generation ago struggled with the efforts to liberate diverse forms of self expression.
In the past few decades, China has undergone rapid development, which has undoubtedly influenced the lives of individuals and reshaped their perspectives on daily life. Learning the piano is no longer a privilege but a common phenomenon in modern Chinese society. For many children, learning the piano seems to have become their first choice when it comes to learning an instrument, often driven by parental pressure. The piano has become a symbol of success rather than enjoyment. The long hours of practice and peer pressure place a huge burden on children, even though they are not pursuing it professionally.
Moreover, this dynamic can, to some extent, strain the relationship between parents and children, as it consumes their free time without their consent, reducing opportunities for them to explore their own interests and act on their own behalf (Human Security Now, 2003).
Learning piano symbolizes the individual’s freedom to make his or her own choice, a key human security proposition. Given this proposition, I would like to explore the widening popularity among the Chinese youths about picking up piano lessons in a society which only a generation ago struggled with the efforts to liberate diverse forms of self expression.
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