ABSTRACT
This chapter intertwines the findings presented in this book and analyses them through a novel perspective that focuses on the spatial diffusion and dynamics of jazz in contemporary China. Its structure corresponds to three phases involved in the evolution of Chinese jazz – formation, expansion, and creation. First, the formation phase refers to an initial stage in which contemporary jazz was introduced to China. Second, the expansion phase refers to a subsequent stage when jazz was adopted in Beijing and Shanghai and started to spread further to other cities. Third, the creation phase signifies a more recent stage of development where local musicians seek to express their innovative jazz languages and styles. In order to understand the spread of jazz in China, this chapter employs an interdisciplinary framework that involves the notions of spatiality and temporality. Drawing upon the theories of spatial diffusion and time-geography in particular, it follows the spatial patterns of Chinese jazz and illuminates their social and individual-related practices. This chapter further reveals physical, political, and cultural factors that have accelerated or slowed the diffusion of jazz in China and points to the way jazz developed in certain places but not in others. Finally, this chapter unveils the interplay between China’s primary, secondary, and peripheral jazz scenes.
