At 19:00 of May 22, 2016, from the Residential College Lakeside of SUSTech rose the melodies of the concert by Zhiren Chinese Folk Music Band, which was held to celebrate the second anniversary of its establishment. SUSTech President Chen Shiyi, Vice President Wang Duoxiang, Dean of Zhiren Residential College Xu Baomin, together with numerous teachers and students, attended the concert.
The Band at the beginning of the concert
Established in March 2014, Zhiren Chinese Folk Music Band, young and vibrant, is popular on SUSTech campus for its superb performance. It has not only held concerts in SUSTech, but also performed for many large inter-school exchanges. Last year, the Band got to the finals in the Fourth Undergraduates Arts Exhibition and Contest of Guangdong Province.
The concert started with “If There Is Afterlife” and “Be with You” by Luo Dan and Wang Zi, the members of “Meow Meow”, another well-known SUSTech band. Their beautiful songs marked the beginning of the feast of folk music, bringing the audience into fairytale fantasies.
Wang Zi, lead singer of “Meow Meow” Band
With the crescendo of drums, “Miracle”, the first ensemble of all instruments started and immediately ignited the concert, drawing thunderous applause from the audience. Hardly had the “Miracle” died out before the prelude of “In the Mood for Love” played in the flute flowed in. This equally bright and cheerful song promoted the joyful atmosphere to a higher pitch.
Then, the style shifted. With the following four beautiful and seemingly far away pieces, the audiences were immersed in the wonderful Chinese folk music. The sweet voice of Xue Yuntian in “Fallen Petals Flutter”, the main theme played by the bandleader Xiong Qianwei with pipa in “Moonlight on the Spring River”, the wonderful performance of Li Zhaoting, teacher and chief erhu player of Zhiren Residential College, in “Orchid Pavilion” … Every melody was a source of surprise and happiness for the audience.
Band members lost in their playing
Stick to the original dream and always be grateful: Liu Xiaoqi, the instructor of the band when it was set up, would be remembered forever. In the last year of his life, Mr. Liu still instructed the students to practice twice a week and took the students to participate in performances and competitions in and out of the campus. Rehearsed with his instruction, “Cucurbit Flute Love Song” contained the gratitude and remembrance of all the band members for him.
Folk music is not always old-fashioned and monotonous. The next two songs—“Huo Yuanjia” and “Right over the World” — were adapted from popular songs by the band. While playing “Huo Yuanjia”, the band leader Xiong Qianwei demonstrated his pipa and flute skills and even unexpectedly his “talent for singing”, which impressed the audience very much. In the “Right over the World”, Zheng Huiyuan played the flute lively, together with the confident erhu player “Toleizhi”, Chinese zither player “Tizi” and handsome Song Yating’s passionate drums. They aroused the audience to clap along with the rhythm and pushed the concert to the climax.
Xiong Qianwei nicknamed “Da Xiong (Big Bear)”, the band leader, singing a song
With the applause of the audience, the last song of the show, “The Only Blooming Flower in the World”, streamed in, calm and sweet. During the last climax, the erhu players in the two front rows stood up and the two flute players, Yuan Ye and Zheng Huiyuan stepped down the stage to get close to the audience. The audience reveling in the ocean of folk music was reluctant to leave.
After the performance, Dean Xu Baomin came to stage to give congratulations to the band members for the successful performance. Afterwards, school leaders and the band members took photos together as souvenirs of the impressive concert.
Dean Xu Baomin delivering a speech
Group photo after the performance
Source: Student News Agency
Text: Wang Xiaohan
Photo: Lan Qiao, Liang Xuegui
