Comparative Study of Cultural Identity Construction Strategies in Chinese and Korean Art Songs under Colonial Modernization (1910-1950)

Abstract

This comparative study examines the cultural identity construction strategies in Chinese and Korean art songs of the colonial modernization period (1910-1950). In this study, the questions of how composers of the two countries worked in the circumstances of maintaining indigenous cultural identity and acceptance of western forms under the colonial and semi-colonial realities within the systematic analysis of musical works, relevant historical contexts, and cultural policies with the use of secondary data were investigated. The study reveals significant differences in colonial experiences that led to different models of cultural identity building. Korea was a direct colony of Japan (1910-1945), and the strategies of resistance it created were highly language-inclined (linguistic preservation) and hidden cultural performance. The semi-colonial situation in China made modernization-related approaches that combined Western methods with Chinese culture possible. The study uses four strategic facets: linguistic adaptation, musical indigenization, thematic choice, and dissemination mechanism. Although both countries managed to live up to the creation of the roots of modern musical identity, their various colonial backgrounds led to different models of cultural strength and adaptation, which can be used in modern debate concerning cultural globalization and retaining national identities.