The Cultural Characteristics and Evolution of Chinese Pop Music from the Perspective of Musicology

Abstract

This article is based on the perspective of musicology research, taking the century-long development of Chinese popular music as the main research thread. Combining the analysis of classic works, authoritative industry data, and cultural context of specific eras, it systematically sorts out the core cultural characteristics and internal evolution laws forged in different historical stages. Research has found that the development of Chinese popular music has always presented three core evolutionary trends: the integration and innovation of traditional music elements and foreign music techniques, the coordinated development of media technology iteration and creative paradigms, and the dynamic balance between commercial value pursuit and artistic expression adherence. Its development process has gone through the exploration of the blending of Chinese and Western elements in early Shanghai era music, the two-way integration and development of popular music from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and mainland China, and the diverse differentiation and innovation in the digital age. Each iteration and transformation of artistic forms is deeply related to social and cultural changes. This article uses authoritative industry data released by the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association and classic creative cases recognized by academia as empirical support to clarify the interaction mechanism between melody structure, arrangement techniques, singing styles, and external cultural environment at the level of music ontology. The aim is to provide empirical theoretical references for explaining the cultural attributes of Chinese popular music and exploring its high-quality development path.