Research Institutes and Universities (Beijing)

Serving as a research base for senior scholars in the folk music within China's borders, MRI has an impressive vault collection of ethnomusicological recordings and source material. In recent years, they have begun exhibiting parts of their instrumental collection in countries abroad. MRI has served as host to a number of distinguished international folk music scholars.

There are also several universities which have founded music departments. The People's University, for example, has a music department focusing on strings and piano majors (200 students). The Capital Normal University has a decently-sized music education program. The School of Arts at Peking University founded in January 2006 began as a Teaching and Research Arts Department in 1986. It has a music department replete with a Chinese folk ensemble, a symphony orchestra, choir and dance troupe.

MRI in Beijing is arguably one of the most important organizations for music research in the country, but music schools such as the Shanghai Conservatory and the Xinghai Music Conservatory in Guangzhou also have an impressive research institutes with equally impressive research publications that cover Chinese music and studies and Western art music. While not all universities around the country have music departments, there are art departments at universities that offer music courses and regularly invite international teachers from music schools and conservatories.

As music education is a lucrative business in China, many performing art conglomerates have also founded music academies to cater to growing demand. One example is the Canton International Summer Music Academy China is an important project run by Xinghai Performing Art Group. Established in 2005, the Canton International Summer School Academy invites young musicians from all over the world to spend about a month studying and performing with master musicians. The Second Canton International Summer Music Academy China was held in Foshan, July 2006, and invited the conductor Charles Dutoit, the violinist Chantal Juillet, and the violinist and conductor Janos Furst.