Zheng Kun Wen Study

Zheng Jinwen, a renowned Chinese national musician at the beginning of the 20th century, founded the influential Datong Musicians Society in Shanghai, and carried on arduous exploration of the Chinese national music's revitalization. Due to the lack of source materials and the change of social thought trends, commentaries on Zheng Jinwen have long been controversial and lacked the breadth and depth of perception, hence are tendentiously one-sided. Based on the then publications and relevant first-hand materials, and in accordance with the orienting researches and combined with Zheng's works of Chinese Musical History and other theses, comprehensive analyses are made to expound Zheng Jinwen's life story, Datong Musicians Society undertaking, academic study, musical thoughts, etc., by placing Zheng's musical activities and thoughts against the specific time-space background, and many of the puzzles about Zheng Jinwen are solved. As a result, the paper objectively points out the historical limitation of Zheng Jinwen and profoundly exploits his historical value and impacts, and whereby Zheng Jinwen reverts to his real and objective type and situation.