ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the historical and cultural background of Banquet music and dance. Banquet music and dance was a form of performance presented at the Tang court during solemn national ceremonies, formal banquets, or occasions of entertainment. It originated in the third century and developed—under the conditioning of li, core of ancient Chinese culture—into a treasure of art after over four centuries of incorporating Buddhist, Islamic, Central Asian cultures, as well as Chinese Taoist and Confucian thought. Liyuan was a place where the Tang court trained musicians and dancers. It can be confirmed from the discussed documentations that Yanyue had become a major music genre at the Tang court and among folks—the most accomplished kind being the Daqu. The style of The Emperor Destroys the Formations is extremely powerful; it shows movements of manners in each section and is rich in ritualistic symbols.
