Our friends at Beijing Today swing by now and then to introduce art and culture in the city.

The nature of charity in China is changing. In the last decade, both international organizations and domestic groups have shifted from relying on donation drives to providing more complex cultural services to meet the specific needs of disadvantaged groups.

But finding the right way to go about charitable projects remains a tough question for many.

At a recent performance by Musethica, the group’s founder, Avri Levitan, spoke to the children of migrant workers at Chaoyang Banbidian Elementary about how theory and technique are not the way to go about mastering music. The education project encourages music learners to participate in charitable performances to give music to people who have few chances to experience it.

Musethica has been providing free concerts to orphanages, children’s education centers and nursing houses around the world. Its Beijing trip was supported by the China National Children’s Center, Youth League Committee of Chaoyang, the Isreali embassy and other organizations.

Most of the students were curious about the instruments and the performers. After performing five pieces, Levitan invited the children to play his violin. Yang Dongming, a 9-year-old student, said the performance was very different from most of the school’s events. Having studied keyboard, Yang said Levitan’s ideas were very different from his teachers’. “I always focused on theory and did whatever the teachers told me to do. I should have spent more time thinking about the meaning of what I was playing,” he said.

Charitable projects are increasingly common in China, although most focus on donating material goods to impoverished communities. Last month, students from Beijing’s Shijia Elementary saved money to send paper and notebooks to students at the city’s Xiao Tian’e Elementary School.

But art and culture performances are becoming a popular alternative as a way to open the minds of disadvantaged children and inspire them to strive for their own success. Most are organized or supported by the local government or educators.

Efficient and successful charity work depends on providing what the recipients need: not what the donor thinks or feels is necessary. Musethica provides art education to students too poor to afford tuition while the students at Shijia Elementary provided material goods their peers struggled to purchase. “Poor children or children with mental diseases need support, not pity,” said Professor Xu Guangxing, a child psychologist. “Seeing faces of pity at a charity event will only reinforce their powerlessness, whereas smiles and equal treatment can make them grow more confident.”

Training courses are also important. Yang Lan, a famous senior media practitioner, said charitable events require professional management knowledge and experience. “Sun Culture Foundation, Peking University and Harvard University have been cooperating to develop charitable training courses to give the students better access to knowledge and skills,” she said.

Whether the group behind a charity work is from home or abroad, charity organizers must be committed to helping solve real problems rather than flaunting their “kindness.”

Local lawyer Zhang Qihuai studied the early years of Chinese charity – specifically a case where charitable works became commercialized in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. Zhang said charities that act in their own interests can easily find themselves in legal trouble.

Lack of legal knowledge and social responsibility is the main cause of charities going bad.

Xu Guangxing also said handing money to poor children only reinforces their powerlessness. Charity must come from respect, he said, and it must come regularly.

This post originally appeared in Beijing Today.

The world is slowly discovering that the Chinese music landscape is not limited to folk tunes and revolutionary ballads. As China’s indie rock, blues and trip-hop artists head abroad, avoiding the “Made in China” label has become a major concern.

China’s music industry doesn’t have the best reputation. In spite of the achievements of independent artists, the domestic music industry remains obsessed with fresh-faced idols cultivated in the Korean and Japanese pop model.

It’s a world where trendiness drums out any notion of musical talent.

“What we’re seeing is an aggressive commercialization of Chinese music,” says Da Meng, the bassist of Screaming Kong. Screaming Kong was founded four years ago by a group of four high school friends. Although the band’s strong grassroots following has brought it several offers from bigger labels, its members have rejected them all.

“We’re not signed because we don’t want to be,” Da Meng said.

China’s music industry has inherited some of the worst elements of the Korean model. Executives focus on building a cult of personality around singers and groups fueled by commercial appearances on variety shows and front-page placements.

It’s a schedule that leaves any signed band with little room for artistic growth.

When talking about their dream, Screaming Kong’s members say they want to sing for friends and strangers rather than appear on the big stage. “We’ve even thought about traveling overseas as street performers,” said Feng Hanbo, the drummer.

“Anyone can perform in the Golden Hall of Vienna or the Sydney Opera House if they can afford the rent. I wouldn’t want to play one of those venues unless we were invited,” he said.

But invitations are unlikely as foreign audiences remain puzzled about what “Chinese music” is.

The independent and commercial scenes are sending the world very mixed messages about Chinese music, and at the moment the commercial scene is winning. Many reviewers, composers and producers see a bright future for China’s commercial music as domestic TV idol contests win attention abroad.

“When we look at the singers who have found fame on stage, we can see the potential for Chinese music to reach a higher level,” said Shan He, a professor at the Tianjin Institute of Music.

As a reviewer on the idol TV show I Am a Singer, Shan’s experience with Chinese music is intimately tied to the commercial side of the industry. But even there he sees hope.

“I am seeing musicians more dedicated to their work and really thinking about what they are singing,” he said. “Seeking a breakthrough is the way they can improve their music.”

Hua Chenyu, the champion of 2013’s Super Boy, was praised by American Idol judge Paula Abdul for his personal interpretation of Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” during the competition.

But many remain guarded about whether idol-oriented development will give China anything new to bring to the world’s stage.

“We have no idea what our future will be like, nor how the music in China will grow,” Da Meng said. “But a good or bad result depends on the audience.”

This post originally appeared in Beijing Today. (Image via)