The Epitome Of Integrity And Uprightness

In the first half of the20thcentury, the Zheng Music of the Han has been very popular.However, as a kind of music, nowadays it is seldom mentioned. This strange cultural phenomenondeserves our deep reflections. With this in mind, and in the hope of understanding the origin andevolution of the Zheng Music of the Han, the author has consulted voluminous literature andconducted a deep research.According to relevant literature, Zhang Hanzhai, Luo Jiuxiang, Rao Shushu, Rao Congjue,and other Hakka musicians who are now well-known to all were all famous experts at the Hanmusic in South Guangdong in1930s. Among them, Mr. Xu Dunwu has dedicated his whole life instudying and researching the Zheng music of the Han, and his life experience and music career areclosely bounded with the development of the Zheng music of the Han in South Guangdong.Unfortunately, the study of Mr. Xu Dunwu is still a blank page of the researches of the Han Music.Taking Mr. Xu Dunwu as the main subject of research, the present thesis aims at narrating the pastand present life of the Zheng music of the Han, so as to honour the memories of thesepredecessors who had made great contributions to the legacy and transmission of the Zheng musicof the Han.This thesis focuses on the Zheng music of the Han handed down by Mr. Xu Dunwu, one ofthe greatest researchers of the Han music. Under the supervision of Professor Lin Ling, the authorhas sorted out all relevant files about Mr. Xu Dunwu and conducted textual researches on themusic scores and recordings left by Xu Dunwu. As a result, starting from the research of the originof “Han Yue Zheng,” the thesis has carefully discussed the artistic features of the Zheng Music ofthe Han Dynasty and also explored the realistic significance of Xu Dunwu’s Zheng music of theHan, in the hope of encouraging the research of his Zheng music in a broader scope. The thesisalso puts forth some suggestions on the inheritance of Xu’s Zheng music of the Han.Through careful reading of related historical information and literature, the thesis firstdiscusses the relationship between “Zheng music of the Han” and “Guangdong Han music” andthat between “Zheng music of the Han” and “Hakka Zheng,” thus providing a detailed analysis ofthe overlapping of many elements of the latter two. Then through an introduction to Mr. XuDunwu’s life story and artistic contributions and defining his position in the history of theperformance of Zheng music of the Han, the thesis delves into a comprehensive analysis of Xu’sart of performance in terms of performing style, artistic features and aesthetic values, thuscomprehending his musical disposition and inner spirit. Finally, the thesis expounds the realisticsignificance of Xu’s Zheng music of the Han in the transmission and inheritance of ancient Hanmusic, providing suggestions of necessary measures, hoping that the unique artistic style and lofty sentiments can point to a correct path for later generations to explore and study the Zheng musicof the Han.