Is piano-mania in China fading?

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By Jacob Stockinger

You have probably heard of piano superstars Lang Lang and Yuja Wang. Maybe even of prize-winners Yundi Li and Haochen Zhang, who both won the Van Cliburn competition while in their teens.

The Ear recently read where there are more piano students in China — the People’s Republic of China — than in Europe, North America and South America combined. In 2019, one music website estimated that “over 40 million Chinese kids are studying the piano today, with some sources going as high as 50 million.”

How did this piano phenomenon come about?

As Bloomberg news recently reported: “China’s love affair with the piano goes back several decades. During the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s, the instrument was condemned as a symbol of the bourgeoisie. But thanks to the economic reforms and the country’s opening up, the piano became an affordable luxury for a quickly expanding middle class.” (Is it a similar story in South Korea, which has produced many outstanding pianists and winners of international competitions?) 

That sounds familiar — similar to what happened in Western culture as the middle class expanded and Hausmusik for amateur musicians took hold. It was a time when most middle-class households had a piano. But now that is fading in the West. Check out all the used pianos listed for sale on Craig’s List and other places.

For more detailed background about about the role of pianos and classical music in China, see this 2019 post by Ludwig-Van.com:

https://www.ludwig-van.com/toronto/2019/08/13/feature-the-piano-market-is-booming-and-its-all-because-of-china

But now news reports say China’s economy is headed for hard times.

What does that mean for piano-mania in China?

Maybe the same thing that has happened in Europe and the United States?

Here is an updated story from another source that says the Chinese piano craze is playing itself out:

https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1014703

Do you have an opinion about China and its love affair with pianos and Western music?

About the fate of pianos and piano lessons in the West?

The Ear wants to hear.

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Posted in Classical music
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