ABSTRACT
This article explores the marginal position of contemporary jazz in China by means of a detailed study of the jazz scene in Beijing up to 2013. It specifically examines the way contemporary jazz in the city interacts with the political, rebellious, social and economic environments in which it subsists, and the way this complex and dynamic interaction affects its marginality. The topic is negotiated through a dual perspective. The first draws on the scholarly historical literature to trace the process that led to the off-centre position and image of jazz in China. The second, an insider’s perspective, exposes the way individual musicians who are active in the jazz scene in Beijing experience and interpret its marginal characteristics. This inner perspective is based on an empiric-qualitative fieldwork study, including in-depth interviews and conversations with members of Beijing’s contemporary jazz scene, and participatory observations in jazz festivals, clubs, jam sessions, music academies and workshops (2006-2012). The findings of this study reveal that jazz in China is marginal not because it is politically active or dangerous, but rather because it is seen as politically passive, and does not serve the needs of the market or the Chinese state.
