Where did you learn your Chinese history? From school in USA? Especially how Confusius or his follower bothered to mess with music? When the Tang emperors enjoyed musics from central asia, do you think those are retualistic form set by Confucius? Does any folk music in the past thousands of years sound ritualistic to you?
You just got my nerves. This is the biggest bull I have heard so far in this forum. Seriously, do you speak and read Chinese, especially classic Chinese that Confucius' books were written in?
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.
The fact is that all Chinese governments share fundamentals since the existence of China, be it the republics or imperial ones, that is "there is always a limit for everything and anything", "没有规矩，不成方圆". So what is the purpose of calling CCP "post Qing"? Except western demonization labeling like they do in their own countries by throwing labels on opponents.
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".
