The first of its kind in English to explore the musical culture of China's Cultural Revolution, Listening to China's Cultural Revolution discusses the history, politics, and aesthetics of a full range of music and performances during this rich yet complicated time in Chinese history. Together, the chapters, grouped under the headings "Temporality,' 'Geography,' and 'Lineage and Legacies,' demonstrate how the era's soundscape was both political and personal, experienced by ordinary people, artists, as well as political leaders, and how the sensory was translated into political actions or even indifference. Finally, the book traces the impact of this musical and operatic culture back to its earlier roots through present-day reverberations still felt and heard today.