The Influence of Mid-Twentieth-Century Technologies on the Expansion of Jazz in China

Abstract

This chapter discusses jazz in China in the second half of the twentieth century. During this period, jazz traveled to China in one of two ways (or both): (1) electronically by several means; and (2) by air, that is, by plane. All manner of electronic and filmic media—such as radio, television, movies, CDs, DVDs, satellites, teleconferencing, computers, and the Internet—and transcontinental modes of transportation such as the plane supplanted the steamship, the locomotive, the gramophone, and early movies as technologies influenced the growth of jazz in China. The characteristics of the above-mentioned technologies cannot be underestimated in terms of their cultural impact, not only on the spread of jazz globally, but also on the spread of information and knowledge generally around the world.