A survey of all music outside the Christian European field including music of primitive people, music of China and the other countries of Far Eastern Asia, and on the music of India, the music of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, Jewish music in biblical times, the music of post-biblical Judaism, the music of ancient Greece and Rome and finally, the music of Islam.

Looks at ancient and oriental music and traces the history of western music from medieval times to the twentieth century.

An eminent scholar explores the evolution of music, from the ecstatic singing of early civilizations to the development of more structured styles in Egypt, East Asia, Rome, and other regions.

A History of Ancient Chinese Music and Dance describes the history of music and dance in ancient China in the past five thousand years in the forms of poems, music and dance. It includes court music and dance, music and dance in drama and folk music and dance. It covers historical and professional knowledge such as music, dance, poetry and drama. The book consists of eleven chapters, from ancient times to the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty. In each chapter, there are historical background, music and dance works, people, events, and related poetry and images. The Yellow Emperor created tonality for wind instruments. Emperor Yao and Emperor Shun invented musical instruments qin and se. Duke of Zhou made system of rites and music. Apart from these, music, dance and acrobatics in the Qin Dynasty and the Han Dynasty, grand compositions in the Tang Dynasty and the Song Dynasty and music and dance in drama in the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty can all lead us to the long developing process of ancient music and dance. The book was the Project of 2003 National Tenth Five-Year Plan for Art Science in China. It was co-funded by the National Publishing Fund and “China Classics International” of the General Administration of Press and Publication.