Gently now. You and I both know that Confucius was restricting music of the courts, not the musical enjoyment of the commons. With respect to the artistic environment of Tang, the rites of Zhou had long since passed. In fact, it is a demonstration of the shift (which started a good long time before Tang) away from the strict demands of ritual expression.
" 八佾舞于庭，是可忍也，孰不可忍也 " While not directly with regards to music, does show a degree of, shall we call it, restriction in the expression of the arts. You may say that this is a ceremonial work, and so restriction is with merit, but the Western churches stifled artistic expression by reason of ceremony for many hundreds of years and we still must call that a restriction.
During Tang, 魏徵 was well known for lambasting 李世民. The great poets could express displeasure with their failed attempts to seek official positions. This tradition of openness ended with Qing and has continued in CCP. Can you imagine a man like 鲁迅 alive today in China? It would never happen.
Much criticism of China is unwarranted, and as you say, "Western demonization". But when you bluster about valid criticisms of China, of CCP, and label them as Western demonization, you are only a few steps above the Jai Hinds who declare all criticism of India to be CIA psyops. 五十步笑百步. No one can deny that the CCP is less tolerant of public criticism than the dynasties before Qing.
I romanticize the peaks of Han and Tang. Perhaps because of this, you and I can never see eye-to-eye on the matter of the CCP, because I begrudge the CCP the destruction of so much history. But I won't accept your slander of my valid statements as "the preaching of USA". I love my people, though I wish the CCP had never come to power. But more than 70 years have passed, and it is clear that the CCP is what will carry China into the future. I refuse your label of my comments as "I love China but hate CCP".
