This summer, music students Okada Sayuri from Nagoya and Yukiko Hagio from Kyoto met for the first time. They did not meet in their native Japan, but in Shanghai. Both were attending lessons for the erhu, a traditional Chinese two-stringed fiddle. Due to their common love for traditional Chinese musical instruments, Yukiko and Okada became instant friends.

Ten years ago, Yukiko first heard an erhu being played on Shijo Bridge in her hometown of Kyoto. Immediately she was moved by what she heard and decided to take up the instrument herself.

"I was so impressed by the sound of the erhu. It was so charming and rich in expressiveness. It was like the sound of a human being," Yukiko told the Global Times.

After 10 years learning under Chinese teachers in Japan, Yukiko is now the concert mistress in the Japanese Chinese Orchestra and performs around 30 concerts across the country each year.

Several years ago, her teacher in Japan suggested she come to China to further her studies. Yukiko still works in Japan, but regularly flies to Shanghai at her own expense to learn the erhu.

Since the late 1990s, more and more international students and music lovers like Yukiko have come to China to study traditional musical instruments while more Chinese musicians are traveling abroad to perform.  

Wang Yongde, director of the Department of Traditional Instruments at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, who has taught at the school for more than 30 years, told the Global Times that international attention towards traditional Chinese instruments has been increasing steadily.    

Following a passion

The passion that Okada Sayuri from Japan and Lin Zechuan from Malaysia have for traditional Chinese music is what brought them to Shanghai. Okada's grandma was born in Nantong, Jiangsu Province and thought of China as her second home. The first time Okada heard the erhu on a CD, she decided she wanted to learn the instrument in Shanghai. She learned the erhu for four years before she came to Shanghai. This year, she applied for a Chinese Government Scholarship and won the chance to study in Shanghai with director Wang at the music conservatory.

Okada has bought three erhus during her four-year study. The latest one cost her 25,000 yuan ($3,910) and is made from rosewood. "At first, nobody in my family liked the idea of me playing the erhu because they thought the noise sounded like a dying animal when I started practicing," Okada said.

Now in her hometown Nagoya, Okada has become a member of the local Japanese Chinese Orchestra, a group with around 100 members ranging from elementary school students to seniors over 70. According to Okada, their performances in Japan are very popular and welcomed by locals.

Despite the busy schedules in Shanghai, Okada still practices the erhu for one to two hours each day. In the essay that she submitted to the conservatory when she applied, she wrote, "I want to become an erhu teacher in Japan after I finish my study in China. I want to introduce my countrymen to the culture of China through its fascinating music."

Like Okada, 21-year-old Lin from Malaysia has a bigger plan for his study in Shanghai. Born to a Chinese Malaysian family, Lin's ancestral home is Fujian Province in southern China. His ancestors migrated to Malaysia early last century. Because of the cultural ties he has to China, Lin feels it is his mission to spread traditional Chinese music to Malaysia. "I can still clearly remember the beautiful melody played by a young Chinese erhu musician I heard on CD when I was 13 years old," Lin told the Global Times.

Encouraged by his sister, Lin started to learn the erhu from local Chinese teachers in Malaysia, and has been part of a Chinese orchestra since elementary school. After he graduated from high school, he decided to apply to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music for a four-year undergraduate study program.

"My textbook was written by Professor Wang from the conservatory. I think the music scene in Malaysia is different, as in China there are more high-level concerts that can expand my vision to study traditional Chinese instruments," Lin said. "Now in many countries in Southeast Asia, traditional Chinese music has become increasingly popular among locals."

For Wang, an erhu musician who has devoted his life to traditional Chinese music over the past five decades, it is obvious that the influence of traditional Chinese music is becoming bigger. "The glamour of Chinese music has been recognized by more foreigners. Currently, most overseas students who studied in our school were majoring in Chinese traditional music. Some foreign students can both play Chinese instruments and compose music," the director told the Global Times.Growing influence

Wang organized a Chinese Music Instrument Competition for Foreign Students in July and took dozens of his students on tour to several cities around the Yangtze River Delta area. "They dressed in their own countries' national costumes, but played traditional Chinese music. They impressed a lot of Chinese audiences," Wang said.

In Wang's eyes, Chinese music has been influenced so much by the history and the diverse culture of China that it is very hard to compare it to Western music. The roots of Chinese music can be traced back to 4,000 years ago in China, based on archaeological evidence. Around 70 different types of instruments have been uncovered at sites dating as far back as the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046–771BC). Today there are more than 2,000 traditional music instruments in China.

For countries in East and Southeast Asia, where Chinese culture has been very influential, it is no wonder that traditional musical instruments like the erhu would be popular there. "Many Japanese people have told me that the erhu fits their personalities," Wang said.

According to Wang, education authorities in Shanghai invest around 10 million yuan each year to support music education and expand training as well as communication projects. Last year, around 50 foreign students studied Chinese music in his department.  

Okada told the Global Times that it was the rich culture of China that largely attracted her to study the erhu in China.

Over the past decade, there has been rising discussion upon the necessity of updating traditional Chinese music to match the tastes of younger audiences. Called "new Chinese music," the new genre mixing modern music elements and instruments with traditional Chinese music has become increasingly popular.

One of the best examples is the Twelve Girls Band. Initially founded in Beijing in 2001, the Twelve Girls Band is one of the most successful groups in China that has tried to reform traditional music.

The band is made up of 12 young girls, who graduated from China's top music schools such as the Central Conservatory of Music and the Chinese Conservatory of Music.

The 12 girls who respectively specialize in traditional Chinese instruments including the erhu, guzheng (a type of zither), guqin (similar to the Indian santoor), pipa (type of lute) and dizi (a type of flute), combine popular modern music elements like Latin, Jazz and Rock with traditional Chinese music. They have won great acclaim in Japan and South Korea.

Changing tunes

In Japan, the Twelve Girls Band is a household name, as their performances and two albums have experienced tremendous success.

The fresh image and expression developed  interest in many people in Japan to study traditional Chinese musical instruments. "I think it is wonderful to introduce Chinese music to the world and to gain such a response from international audiences," Wang Xiaojing, the founder of the Twelve Girls Band said. In China, more and more similar bands and performers have emerged.

At last year's Hong Kong Modern International Festival, Yan Huichang, the music director of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, told local media that a European scholar once asked him whether Chinese music would lose its essence after the introduction of Western sheet music and European music elements.

Musicians, who support the change, like Professor Qiao Jianzhong from the China Art Research Institute, think that absorbing some characteristics of  foreign music is a necessary step for Chinese traditional music to reach global audiences.

But others, like composer He Zhanhao, feel the essence of traditional Chinese music is inherited from its long rich history, which is irreplaceable. Integrating foreign musical styles to popularize the music will only hurt it in the long run.

"I think it is unnecessary to debate what 'new Chinese music' is. It's just popular music," director Wang said. "The trend of Chinese music played by traditional instruments going global is happening. But we should also be clearly aware of its limitations. Frankly, I think it is not possible to popularize Chinese music everywhere. It is pointless to compare different music and discuss which is better."

Li Jun, a Hong Kong-based erhu musician, who has promoted traditional Chinese music across Southeast Asia for the past decade, said that it is not easy to judge the impact of these changes. "I have always believed that music can touch one's heart if you play it with your heart, no matter what kind of instruments or music you play. For those who really love music, they can always find enjoyment in it."

Chinese music has a history as long as China itself. Archaeological evidence suggests that traditional Chinese instruments first emerged as early as the beginning of the Qin Dynasty (221–206BC). A simple bone flute was uncovered at a Neolithic site in Zhejiang Province and a type of bell from the same period was uncovered at a site near Xi'an.

The first Chinese musical duo included Longyu, the daughter of an emperor who ruled during the Spring and Autumn Period, and the handsome Xiao Shi. Longyu played the sheng (a multi-reed instrument similar to a panpipe) and Xiao played the xiao (a type of flute). Xiao was discovered playing music outside Longyu's chamber, and his playing impressed the emperor so much that the ruler offered his daughter's hand in marriage.

One night, as the couple were playing together, a phoenix and a dragon appeared. Xiao then declared, "I am an immortal. With the blessing of Heaven, I married you. But the mandate of Heaven forbids me to stay in this world for long. Now that the dragon and the phoenix have come to fetch us, it's time for us to leave." Then Xiao mounted the dragon and Longyu mounted the phoenix and they flew off to Heaven.

One of the most famous charlatans in the history of Chinese music was Nan Guo, who lived during the Spring and Autumn Period. Emperor Xuanwang of the Qi State was particularly fond of the yu (a multi-reed instrument similar to a panpipe). So fond was he that he demanded 300 musicians play the instrument in unison. Nan, despite having no musical knowledge, played in the ensemble and lived the life of a court musician. Nan's ruse was not discovered until after the emperor's death, when his son asked each musician to play solo.

Traditional Chinese music has also influenced Chinese poetry. In 816 Tang Dynasty poet, Bai Juyi, heard the melodious tune of a pipa by a river. Bai followed the music and found a small boat where a girl was playing the pipa. The highly-skilled pipa player had married a merchant. However, her husband put business above his affection for her, so she ended up spending her days and nights weeping in an empty boat. The girl inspired Bai to write the popular poem Pipaxing. In the poem Bai not only captured the mood of the girl but described in detail the different techniques of playing the pipa.

Perhaps the most famous Chinese musician of the 20th Century is Hua Yanjun, more commonly known as "Blind A Bing." Born in 1893, A Bing's mother passed away when he was only 1 year old. At the age of 8, he went to live with his father, a Taoist monk. A Bing learned the erhu from his father and was soon seen playing on the streets outside the temple. At 34 he lost his sight to syphilis, hence his nickname. His most famous piece is Erquanyingyue, which is still played as a standard erhu piece to this day.