English

Peacock traditional Chinese musical instrument catalog, ca. 1960s-1970s?

After the Communist takeover of China in 1949, industry was nationalized and consolidated under various state entities; in many cases, industry was established for the first time. This 1960s-1970s "Peacock" (Kong Que/Kongkwe, 孔雀) traditional Chinese musical instrument catalog showcases those instruments made in Tientsin/Tianjin, where many such instruments are still made today (or at least processed through there). There is no explicit date, but the design and spelling point to that used during the 1960s-1970s (i.e. Peking and Tientsin, versus Beijing and Tianjin), pending further investigation. In addition to establishing manufacturing during the Great Leap Forward, the People's Republic of China also sought to transform society during the Cultural Revolution, moving away from earlier Chinese culture by using certain Western elements, like musical instruments. This did not mean adopting Western culture wholesale, but repurposing features as the state saw fit, and the violin was Mao Zedong's musical weapon-of-choice . Despite adopting the Western violin, many Chinese-made violins produced a rather shrill tone, closer to the traditional er-hu . Seeing an opportunity to export much o

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