1.
Introduction
The official MV of JJ Lin's Cao Cao, from YouTube
Singer and Composer:
Cao
Cao was first released on February 17,
2006. This marked the fourth Mandarin album from JJ Lin, who is a famous
Singaporean singer, writer and record producer based in Taiwan. The inspiration
for this music stemmed from his interest in Chinese history and particularly
about stories of Three Kingdoms - he even often simulated the characters in
various RPG (role playing games). According to history and literature, the
titular Cao Cao was an extremely powerful and cunning warlord during the Three
Kingdoms era.
By 2016, JJ Lin had issued 12
official albums, hundreds of songs and won tons of awards such like Best New Artist of 15th Golden Melody Awards in 2004. In a breakthrough, JJ
Lin finally combined western rock and Chinese elements to create the song “Cao Cao”. Besides performing as an
artiste, JJ Lin has displayed talent in music composition and lyrics writing.
While still a trainee under his management company Ocean Butterflies, he wrote
many iconic and classic hits for famous and established singers like A-Mei (Remember,
or 《记得》) and
Harlem Yu; many of which remain popular among the generations. Among his own
songs, River South (《江南》) and Twilight ( 《不为谁而作的歌》) earned him critical and
commercial acclaim in Asia.
Lyricist:
Eric Lin is a famous Taiwan writer
and album producer. He was the chairman of “Ocean Butterflies” Company in
Taiwan. Eric Lin discovered JJ Lin and A-Du in Singapore and raised them to be
singers. JJ Lin has mentioned several times that Eric Lin is as teacher and
father for him. Eric Lin wrote lyrics for many famous singers such as A-Mei and
Andy Lau, but has contributed most to JJ Lin’s compositions. Some of his
notable compositions include
Twilight (《不为谁而作的歌》) by JJ Lin, Ting
Hai (《听海》) for A-Mei and
Andy Lau’s Thanks for your love (《谢谢你的爱》). In his career Eric Lin has earned several
accolades, including the 6th Global Chinese Pop Chart of most
popular music and 15th Beijing Pop Music Annual Golden Melody.
Creation Background
Cao
Cao is created based on the figure of
the warrior and warlord Cao Cao in era of Eastern Han dynasty. He was one of
the central hero figures of the period of Three Kingdoms. Even though he was
portrayed as cruel Chancellor of Eastern Han dynasty by literature, his
brilliant rules and achievements are still undeniable.
The song is based on the stories of
the Three Kingdoms of Eastern Han dynasty. During that period, China was
separate as tripartite divisions, Wei, Shu and Wu. It was a special Era in
China history that full of struggles, mistrust, wars, and military strategies.
Because of the circumstances of that era, many video games and TV drama are
created based on real history stories. JJ Lin is one big fan of such video
games, especially the wisdom and bravery of ancient warriors. He is thought to
have combined the inspiration from his video games, and his own understanding
of the historical figures, to create many songs that relate to history,
especially Three Kingdom of Eastern Han period. “Cao Cao” and “Drunken Red
Cliff” are both his masterpieces that are based on history, and being loved
by the younger generation.
Because of JJ Lin’s talent in music,
and his passion for historical video games, many famous game and movie makers
had invited him to compose theme songs. These include “Drunken Red Cliff” for the RPG Online Game “赤壁OL”, and “Wu Jin De Si Nian” is being selected as theme song by Online Game “EverQuest”. He was also working with
Vincent Fang, who is a famous songwriter, to compose many songs based on
Chinese culture.
Music Video:
The record company “Ocean
Butterflies” spent millions shooting the MV for Cao Cao. “Ocean Butterflies” hire powerful 3D animation teams to
enhance the battle scenes and make it as realistic as possible. The young
director Bill Jarvis used the first “time-space setting machine” in Taiwan to
send JJ Lin’s character back to ancient China, which shocked and amazed
audiences at that time.
2.
Music of Cao Cao
Form
The song was written in a
verse-chorus form which is a common form that we usually hear. This form
includes Introduction, verse, chorus, bridge and coda. In Cao Cao, we can hear 2 phrases in the introduction, each consisting
of 4 measures. The only instrument appears in the first phrase is piano. As the
music moves towards to the second phrase, drums, electric guitar and bass come
along with piano. In the first verse, the way in which the instruments enter is
the same as the intro - four measures of piano and four measures of other
instruments. Followed by eight measures of the first chorus, drums, electric
guitar and bass continue playing through the end of the four-bar bridge, the
second section repeats the same rule, no matter the instrumentation or the
structure. The only difference is in the bridge which features the guitar solo.
The third section almost follows the same rules, however, it cuts down four
measures of the verse and adds four measure on the chorus. The total measures
of each section still remain the same. The coda consists of two 4-measures
phrases. In the last two measures of the coda, only the piano left which
corresponds to the intro and verse.
Music style
The musical style of Cao Cao belongs to pop rock. "The Three Kingdoms Period
(220-280) – Chinese Imperial History Facts", 2017) defines
pop rock as a fusion genre used to describe standard verse-chorus pop music.
Another definition from "What
are the characteristics of pop-rock music", 2017, describes pop
rock as a genre that mixes catchy pop lyrics with rock based instruments.The
origins of the pop rock genre come from the early 1950’s which can be
categorized under rock for its usage of guitars, drums, and propulsive rhythm.
Not like rock and roll music, pop rock is lighter and smoother for listener to
approach. At the beginning of the song, the piano introduces the motive. We
might think that the song is more or less like a ballade as this is a very
usual way to start a ballad song. However, after four measures, the drums and
electric guitar come along with the piano motive. We can clearly hear the bass
drum and feel the pulse. This gives us a hint that the song is moving towards
to pop rock style. Not always use drums or electric guitar, sometimes only the
piano left, in order to bring the listeners a lighter atmosphere. For example,
the entrance of the intro and each verse. In addition, the lyrics are repeated
and simply describe the history of Three Kingdom. This make the song
well-spread among Chinese-speaking countries.
Instrumentation
The instrumentation comprises
Western instruments such as, piano, guitar, bass and drum set. There are no
Chinese instruments involved. Furthermore, there are also no Chinese elements
such as Chinese folk song, classical Chinese music or Chinese opera in the
melody. The song was written in a very Western style. However, there is an
interesting combination between Western and Eastern. In this song, JJ Lin
successfully blended the Western music style and Chinese history. As the title
of this song, the lyrics describe Cao Cao who was a Chinese warlord of the
Eastern Han dynasty. Cao Cao is normatively regarded negatively; however, JJ
Lin himself admired Cao Cao very much because he thought they shared similar
attitudes. JJ wanted to mix the music and soul, as Cao Cao was ambitious to
unify the Three Kingdom.
3.
Lyrics of the song
3.1 Translation of lyrics
不是英雄 不读三国
No hero is made without the Three
Kingdoms
若是英雄 怎麽能不懂寂寞
How can a hero not know loneliness
独自走下长板坡 月光太温柔
A lone defeated figure descends
Chang Ban under the gentle moonlight
曹操不罗唆 一心要拿荆州
Without hesitation, Cao Cao vows to
take Jing Zhou
用阴谋阳谋 明说暗夺的摸
With manipulations and strategies
Overtly and furtively
东汉末年分三国 烽火连天不休
The fires of war mark the end of
Eastern Han into the Three Kingdoms
儿女情长 被乱世左右 谁来煮酒
Our romance controlled by the uncertainties
of war
Brewing wine the hero’s wine becomes
bland
尔虞我诈是三国 说不清对与错
No standards in this era, strife
with manipulation
纷纷扰扰 千百年以後 一切又从头
Back and forth, we are doomed to
tangle in the cycle of division and unification
3.2
Literal text connected to the song
3.2.1 Background info of the
literal text ("Romance of the Three Kingdoms Novel and History Introduction", 2017)
● Title of the novel: Romance of the three kingdoms
● Title of the novel: Romance of the three kingdoms
● Author： Luo Guanzhong
● Primitive title： Sanguozhi Tong Su Yan Yi
● Well-known title：Sanguo Yan Yi
● Writing time：Hongwu Era in late Yuan and early Ming Dynasty
● Significance：One of the four great classical
novels in China
First
full-length chapter-styled fictionalized historical novel
● Stories mentioned in the lyrics:
1. Defining a Hero While Warming the Wine
2.
Battle of Changban
3.
Fighting for Jingzhou
●
Name：Cao Cao （A.D.
155-220）
●
Courtesy name: Mengde （孟德）
●
Nicknames: Jili(吉利）, Aman（阿瞒）
●
Position:Penultimate
Chancellor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, King
of Wei Kingdom
●
Significance：Founder of Cao Wei
Unification
of all northern provinces
Famous politician, militarist, litterateur,
calligrapher, and poet
3.2.2 Synopsis of the text
● Overview：
The
novel covers one hundred and thirteen years of Chinese history, starting in 168
A.D. and ending with the reunification of the land in 280 A.D.
Three
Kingdoms describes a fascinating dynastic-cycle: the fall of the Han Dynasty
under Emperor Ling due to the Yellow Scarves rebellion, the division of the
Empire into the three kingdoms – Shu, Wei, and Wu – and the reunification of
the empire by the Jin Dynasty.
The
first eighty chapters of the novel are dedicated to the reign of the last Han
Emperor, Xian (A.D. 189-220). It describes in detail the crisis that causes the
end of a four-hundred- year dynasty. The Cao family replaced the ruling house
of the Liu eventually, when Cao Pi forced the abdication of Emperor Xian.
The
last forty chapters deal with the division of the land into the Three Kingdoms
or Three Dynasties. We call this the Sanguo period in Chinese. This period
ended when the house of Jin finally united the land.
● Defining a Hero While Warming the Wine ("Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Novel and History Introduction", 2017)
Emperor Xian perceived that Cao Cao was not loyal to him,
therefore he issued an imperial edict to Dong Cheng asking him to kill Cao Cao.
Dongcheng made an alliance with Liu Bei to get rid of Cao Cao. Liu Bei was
worried Cao Cao’s suspicions would be aroused, so he hid himself in his garden
and watered his beans every day. Cao Cao heard of this, and decided to invite
Liu Bei for dinner. He treated Liu Bei with green plums in the plate, and
boiled wine in the pot. Both of them drank, and talked about heroes in the
world. Cao Cao asked Liu Bei who he thought could be the hero in this world.
Liu Bei pretended to be muddled, in case Cao Cao understood his goal of restoring the Han Royal Family and killed him. Therefore,
Liu Bei mentioned others like Yuan Shu, Yuan Shao, and Liu Biao to divert Cao
Cao`s attention away from himself, but Cao Cao denied all his answers. When Cao Cao said: “Now the heroes in the world, can only
be you and me”, Liu Bei was very shocked, and dropped his chopsticks. At this
moment, the sunny weather suddenly turned stormy. Instead of showing his shock
at Cao Cao`s words, he explained that he was afraid of the lightning to get rid
of Cao Cao's doubt.
Provident
Shrewd and insidious
● Battle
of Changban
Historical
background:
In
the third year of Emperor Han Xian`s Era (AD 208), Cao Cao personally led his
troops to Jingzhou in the south. In August of that year, Liu Biao died, and his
second son of Liu Cong ascended the throne but surrendered without fighting.
However, as Liu Cong did not dare to tell Liu Bei, he was kept in the dark.
After finding out Liu Bei sent his subordinate to ask Liu Cong, he asked Song
Zhong to declare the imperial edict to Liu
Bei. At that time Cao Cao`s troop had arrived in Wancheng. Liu Bei was shocked
after receiving the message, so he killed Song Zhong, and led his troops in
escape.
At this time, Zhuge Liang and others persuaded Liu Bei to take this opportunity to attack Liu Cong, thus occupying Jingzhou, so that they could make that their base area to better defend against Cao Cao's troops. However, since Jingzhou is Liu Biao`s inheritance, Liu Bei did not have the heart to seize it from Liu Cong. Many Jingzhou people have abandoned Liu Cong to rely on Liu Bei, and more than ten thousand people are willing to follow Liu Bei to flee. Liu Bei led all these followers to escape from Jingzhou, but they were encumbered by the sheer number of people.. On the other hand, Guan Yu followed Liu Bei`s command to lead a team of navy troops and departed for Jiangling by water.
At this time, Zhuge Liang and others persuaded Liu Bei to take this opportunity to attack Liu Cong, thus occupying Jingzhou, so that they could make that their base area to better defend against Cao Cao's troops. However, since Jingzhou is Liu Biao`s inheritance, Liu Bei did not have the heart to seize it from Liu Cong. Many Jingzhou people have abandoned Liu Cong to rely on Liu Bei, and more than ten thousand people are willing to follow Liu Bei to flee. Liu Bei led all these followers to escape from Jingzhou, but they were encumbered by the sheer number of people.. On the other hand, Guan Yu followed Liu Bei`s command to lead a team of navy troops and departed for Jiangling by water.
In
September, Cao Cao heard the news of Liu Bei fleeing, and thus asked Cao Chun
to chase after Liu Bei with 5000 soldiers in case Liu Bei occupied Jiangling
first.
Chasing
Cao
Cao`s Hubao Cavalry caught up with Liu Bei at Changban in Dangyang. Although
Liu Bei appeared to have more followers, the majority of the crowd were not
soldiers, so they were put to rout very fast by Hubao Cavalry. Only more than
10 people including Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhuge Liang escaped from
the chaos. Cao Chun, Cao Cao`s subordinate caught Liu Bei`s wives, daughters
and only son, Liu Shan. Zhao Yun personally saved Lady Gan and Liu Shan, but
failed to save Liu Bei`s two daughters, killing 50 soldiers of Cao Cao`s troop
in the process. Cao Cao commended Zhao Yun as “legendary general”, and asked
his soldiers to capture Zhao Yun alive for his own use.
Process:
After
marching to Changban Bridge, Cao Cao`s troops was stopped by Zhang Fei, who
severed the bridge. Zhang Fei scared off Cao Cao`s troop with his roar and
fearsome expression. Xiahou Jie, general of Cao Cao`s troop, was so frightened
by Zhang Fei`s roar that he fell off his horse and perished.
Result:
Cao Cao`s victory
Liu Bei evacuated to Xiakou
Influence:
Cao
Chun and Cao Ren seized Jiangling for themselves. Cao Chun also captured Xu
Shu`s mother as hostage for his surrender to Cao Cao. Therefore, Xu Shu had no
choice but to defect and join Cao Cao`s party.
● Fighting for Jingzhou
Jingzhou was a key location in
Romance of Three Kingdoms which determined the fate of all three kingdoms. Cao
Cao did not manage to unify China as a whole because he failed to obtain
Jingzhou. Liu Bei established Shu since he borrowed Jingzhou from Wu. Wu made
alliance with Shu by lending Jingzhou and defended Wei together, but also broke
up the alliance by killing Guan Yu for the sovereignty of Jingzhou. Finally, since the
alliance was destroyed, Wu lost support from Shu and thus perished in the end.
Therefore, not only Cao cao, but also Liu Bei and Sun Quan wanted to occupy
Jingzhou as their own territory. Jingzhou was vital
to hegemony ("三国相争的焦点为何在荆州_丁丁_新浪博客", 2017) because
of:
Geography:
Before the Grand Canal
was chiselled, Xiangyang was the main transport hub from the Central Plains to
the Yangtze River Basin. Any lord of
Jingzhou could, to the east threaten Wu, to the west Sichuan (traced back along
the Yangtze River from Jingzhou), to the north suppress the authorities such as
Xiongnu, and to the south it can trace the ocean. Therefore, the occupation of
Jingzhou was half the battle won in unifying the whole country.
Economy：
When Liu Biao was the
owner of Jingzhou, he preserved an attitude of
neutrality among the kingdoms. This contributed to a comparatively more stable
development in Jingzhou. Since Jingzhou was located in the center of Hanzhong Plain,
Jianghan Plain and Dongtinghu Plain, she enjoyed rich natural resources. Being a
good habitat for humans to settle, Jinzhou thus had a more concentrated
population. This stimulated more advanced transportation and encouraged more
business transactions. Therefore, the economic development in Jingzhou was well
developed.
Military:
It was an era of cold
weapons, which meant that if one could not cross Yangtze River, it was
impossible to attack and occupy the region in the south. The root problem that
failed Cao Cao in the Battle of Red Cliff was that Cao Cao was stopped by the
allied troops from Shu and Wei, and did
not manage to cross Yangtze River. This is also the reason Wu managed to
survive. Therefore, owning Jingzhou translated to owning initiative of the war.
Thus despite a great disparity in strength and numbers
between troops, the weaker one could still create a stalemate if they occupied
Jingzhou. Dong Wu`s region was mainly made up by plains without scattered
strategic areas for defence, making the Yangtze River their only natural
defence. This is also the reason why Dong Wu always only dispatched about 30000
soldiers instead of their full strength for wars.
Therefore, Jingzhou was of high strategic importance and
its ownership has been transferred many times. Jingzhou was initially divided
to 7 counties, which are Nanyang, Nan, Jiangling, Lingling,
Guiyang, Wuling, and Changsha. Cao Cao further divided two counties Xiangyang
and Nanxiang from Nan and Nanyang. Therefore finally there were 9 counties in
Jingzhou. Here is the timeline for event happened
in Jingzhou.
○
Originally, Liu Biao was
the minister of Jingzhou.
○
Liu Biao`s son Liu Cong ascended
the throne after Liu Biao`s death.
○ After
Cao Cao occupied the northern four counties
of Jingzhou, Liu Cong surrendered the southern four counties
to Cao Cao. At this point of time, Liu Bei only occupied the Xiakou region of Jiangxia county, while
Sun Quan occupied the southern region of Jiangxia county.
○ After War of Red Cliff, the three kingdoms carved up the whole
Jingzhou. Cao Cao occupied the northern Jingzhou including counties of Nanyang,
Xiangyang, Nanxiang and half of Jiangxia which was in the north of Yangtze
River. (The other half on the south of Yangtze River belonged to Sun Quan even
before War of Red Cliff). At the same time, Sun Quan and Liu Bei occupied
counties of Nan, Changsha, Lingling, Guiyang, and Wuling.
○ With Lu Su`s help, Liu Bei borrowed
the five counties
and Xiakou from Sun Quan, and Sun Quan only took charge of the southern half of
Jiangxia. This provided opportunities for Liu Bei to gain territory in Sichuan
and establish Shu Kingdom.
○ After Liu Bei occupied Xichuan, Cao
Cao had occupied Hanzhong which may threaten Liu Bei. Thus, Liu Bei and Sun
Quan united and negotiated again, and redivided Jingzhou. Liu Bei took control
over Nan, Lingling and Wuling, while Sun Quan took over Jiangxia, Guiyang and
Changsha again.
○ Lv Meng attacked Jingzhou and killed
Guan Yu. Jiangxia, Guiyang and Changsha were back to Sun Quan again.
○ At the end period of three kingdom,
Emperor Sima Yan of Jin attacked Wu Kingdom. Emperor Sun Hao surrendered and
thus Jingzhou was unified and belonged to Jin.
3.3 Draw link between lyrics and
text.
The grandiose notions of martial
heroism and honourable triumph are constant in both renditions of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Luo, & Roberts, 1995)
Within the same dynamic and treacherous context of the battle for lordship over
China, the concept of the hero emerges as one who is skilled in combat, but
also entangled in complicated romances. Although the lyrics reference key
episodes in the text - the Battle of Changban, the fight for Jingzhou and the
quintessential wine brewing between Liu Bei and Cao Cao, the lyrics create an
increasingly humanistic version of the martial hero. The concept of the
quintessential hero is elevated from a one-dimensional figure of martial
prowess into a flesh-and-blood mortal, who also pines for love and bemoans the
tragedies of war. This unnamed hero is at once identical but removed from the
Three Kingdoms context because he represents the common soldier, and also an
unusually clear perspective of the war. He occupies a uniquely transcendental
position, being at once above and incarcerated by circumstances.
The lyrics of the song also
reproduce a reminiscent and similar context of the Three Kingdoms era because
of its imagery and cultural allusions. Images like the ceaselessness of fire
and violence re-create the vividness of war and pillage, which is
characteristic of the chaotic and volatile Three Kingdoms. In contrast, the
portrait of a lone figure descending Changban, further diminished by the
encompassing cold moonlight, reveals the social consequence of war - loss and
separation. This is a motif of loneliness that runs through the lyrics,
beginning with the relationship between heroism and loneliness, and ending with
the relentless circularity of history. Additionally, the historical and
cultural significance of key scenes in the text have an immediate impact on
familiar readers, because they are instantly able to connect the situation with
the circumstance. For example, the idea of the warlord Cao Cao sparing no
efforts to taking the geographically strategic land of Jing Zhou till this day
remains iconic of that era’s manipulation and ruthlessness.
4.Conclusion
4.1 Overall impression of the song
Cao Cao listens firstly as a
intrepid fusion of modern instruments and background music, coupled with a set
of lyrics which are decidedly period. It is additionally remarkable and
impressive that in the introduction, the use of drums create an audible tension
and build-up to a climax, much like the war drums of the past. The accelerating
rhythm then fizzles out into the singer’s voice, a ubiquitous blend of
piteousness and emotion that is unique to JJ Lin himself. The notion of
contrast, firstly between martial instrumental and emotional song/lyrics, and
secondly between Western instruments and Chinese culture, form the foundation of
Cao Cao as a cosmopolitan song.
Apart from the lyrical and musical
style which we have discussed above, the visual music video also contributed to
our overall impression in terms of its visual representation of the Three
Kingdom chaos in contrast to the more human and emotional portrayal of the
lyrics. As per tradition, the music video is interspersed with the storyline of
the song, and inserts of the singer crooning. In Cao Cao’s MV, this tradition
is particularly intriguing because East-West fusion is highlighted visually
with JJ Lin’s modern clothes and band, set against scenes of period warfare and
elaborate mise-en-scene.
4.2 Notion of Chineseness
Our examination of “Chineseness” is
subject to a fluid and dynamic definition, mainly because of its capacity to
change and adapt to the times, as it has already done. Thus, we seek to analyse
this notion through historical, literary, and cultural perspectives, in
relation to time and space.
An analysis of “Chineseness” would
be severely crippled without consideration of its rich, nearly 4000-year
history. In relation to Cao Cao, we
will focus on the reasons historical warfare. The era of the Three Kingdoms was
marked by transfers of power from the Han Emperor Xian, to Cao Cao, which was
eventually split among Liu Bei and Sun Quan ("The Three Kingdoms Period (220-280) – Chinese
Imperial History Facts", 2017) . It inevitably had to result in
wars for dominion over land and resources, which gave birth to the periods of
violence and bloodshed that characterised the chaos of that era. This is
however not a phenomenon unique to Chinese, or even to that period, because
humans in general fight over scarce resources till today. We can thus infer
that martial history as a whole, is not extremely unique to Chineseness, for
the simple fact domestic infighting is a universal and timeless problem which
occurs periodically over a lack of scarce resources.
The literary adaptation of this era,
the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms
by Luo Guanzhong offers much more dramatisation and hence allusions to draw
upon. We will be analysing the concept of the Chinese hero and some typical
characteristics, according to the BBC article ("Liu Bei: China's warlord who teaches good
management - BBC News", 2017). The
emergence of several figures in the novel direct our attention towards the
qualities they embody, and in contrast, characteristics that are normally
undesirable. The benevolence and thrift of Liu Bei (although exaggerated in the
novel) were hallmarks of an exemplary leader during wartime, while the
diplomacy and wit of the strategist Zhuge Liang remains iconic in modern
discussion of intelligence (he is immortalised in the proverb 三个臭皮匠顶个诸葛亮).
In contrast, the anti-hero Cao Cao is widely regarded as manipulative and
deceptive, which are generally negative connotations. Thus, a set of
characteristics that are related to the Chinese hero emerge from
characterisation in the novel.
4.3 Understanding the qualities of Chinese popular music
From Cao Cao, the formula for modern
Chinese popular music seems to be a blend of Western and Eastern elements to
form a hybrid whole. The combination of Western instrumentals and background
music, together with historical or literary lyrics seem to promise a surefire
hit because its target audience - Western music lovers and listeners who
appreciate Chinese literature, will both support this Zhongguofeng style.
Additionally, the incorporation of Western elements are a sign of music
adapting to its era, instead of being resolutely stuck in its past.
4.4 Understanding the relationship between Chinese popular music and
Chinese literature
The relationship between Chinese
popular music and literature might be seen as a downgrade, if one regards
literature as purely for the consumption of the elite. This is of course an
outdated perception because literacy is no longer the sole enjoyment of the
nobility, and thus, we can regard the fact that Chinese popular music borrows
from literature as a neutral, if not positive, interaction. In its essence, by
alluding to culture and literature, Chinese popular music has contributed to
the modernisation of literature by making it more palatable and hence
accessible to the general public.
The denseness and richness of
literature that has spanned millennia is not always a first choice for the 21st
century reader tired out by demands of the modern world. Therefore, to prevent
the alienation and apprehension of literature, popular music can break down the
text by condensing it into its key, exciting elements that will hopefully spark
further interest in the original text. By packaging literature into music, it
garners a lot more attention and interest, especially from pop sensations like
singer JJ Lin or simply the soulful tune of Cao Cao.
Additionally, Chinese popular music
is more accessible not only to younger Chinese people, but music can cross
cultural and national boundaries. This not only ensures that our literature and
culture is passed down linearly to the next generation, but also spatially to
other, non-Chinese speaking countries. The form of a song, being convenient and
accessible, together with the proliferation of websites like YouTube and
Spotify, will spread knowledge of Chinese literature with more speed and
success than translations of the original text will. Therefore, one can
definitely read the relationship between Chinese pop music and literature as
mutually beneficial and interdependent.
Works Cited:
Pop
Rock - Music Genres - Rate Your Music.
(2017). Rateyourmusic.com. Retrieved
24 March 2017, from https://rateyourmusic.com/genre/Pop+Rock/
What
are the characteristics of pop-rock music. (2017). Answers.com.
Retrieved 24 March 2017, from http://www.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_characteristics_of_pop-rock_music?#slide=2
Romance
of the Three Kingdoms Novel and History Introduction. (2017). Kongming.net. Retrieved 24 March 2017, from http://kongming.net/novel/intro/
三国相争的焦点为何在荆州_丁丁_新浪博客.
(2017). Blog.sina.com.cn. Retrieved
24 March 2017, from http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_49b486130102ww5c.html
Liu
Bei: China's warlord who teaches good management - BBC News. (2017). BBC News. Retrieved 23 March 2017, from http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-19897371
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Three Kingdoms Period (220-280) – Chinese Imperial History Facts. (2017). Totallyhistory.com. Retrieved 23 March 2017, from
http://totallyhistory.com/the-three-kingdoms-220-280/
Luo, G., & Roberts, M. (1995). Three kingdoms (1st ed.). Beijing:
Foreign Languages Press.
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