Making Chinese Instrumental Relics in Pre-UNESCO Modernity: Datong Music Society’s “Heritage” Project

Datong Music Society (Datong yuehui 大同樂會, est. 1919) has been known for pioneering reform changes in modern Chinese instrumental music. However, during its active years it was also known for making Chinese musical instruments. Its completion of a 163-piece set of “archaistic” (fanggu 仿古) Chinese musical instruments in Shanghai in 1931 marked its deep historical interests, which complemented its musical performances of “ancient music” (guyue 古樂). Indeed, musical archaism afforded Datong social recognitions in its time. As artefacts, the instruments bore national and cultural values similar to those of the “ancient objects” (guwu 古物) and “relics” (wenwu 文物) displayed in modern museums, contributing to an “exhibitory modernity.” Despite its emulative nature and controversy unleashed, the set and Datong’s music performances were practically accepted as bearing the musical heritage of modern China. Inspired by recent discoveries of some of Datong’s instruments archived overseas, this article reflects on Datong’s project through a discourse of “heritage,” one that relates Datong’s retrospective imitation to its forward-looking reform as complementary drives. While Datong’s “exhibitory modernity” delivered a sense of inheritance and transmission from the ancestors — the normative meaning of heritage promoted by UNESCO, the emulative nature of its instrumental relics making offered spaces for creative modifications and experimentations.