Music Culture And Ethnic Identity In The Diaspora Of Overseas Chinese

There are approximately 40 to 60 million Chinese descent living overseas,mainly residing in areas including Asian countries,European and North American countries such as U.S and Canada.This paper is focused on a particular ethnic group of such overseas Chinese living in a North American Chinatown in the city of Calgary in Canada.Through literature review and field surveys,the author has gone to the extend of studying the history of the overseas Chinese musical culture,its current status and its on-going transformation in Calgary.This paper characterizes the Chinese traditional cultures as of a “diaspora” from the perspective of and as a function of the ethnic culture and ethnic identity.With globalization as the backdrop,Chinese culture has been gradually and visibly accepted into the world culture.With living experiences in both China and Canada,the author will leverage her dual identity advantage as both an “insider” and an “outsider” of both cultures to conduct the study.The paper presents the author's opinion with regard to how the Chinese musical culture will play itself out on the world stage in the future.The paper reviews the concept of “diaspora”,music formation related to “diaspora”,“diaspora” music and its academic history and the key “diaspora” existence sites such as the Calgary Chinatown in Canada etc.The field study covered such local music performance groups such as Jin Wah Sang Music Society of Calgary,Calgary Chinese Music Development Association,Calgary Chinese Orchestra and Club Zero Entertainment.Using the data and information collected,the paper elaborates on the history of the Chinese diaspora music culture and its role in ethnic identity.It enhances the understanding of the significance of the overseas Chinese musical culture as a “diaspora” one.