Soft sunlight falls on branches and leaves of pine trees, preface to a performance held on the West Coastof the United States. The noisy audience becomes quiet. They can hear one another's heart beats, arisingfrom their excitement in anticipation for the upcoming recital. Spot lights are flashing on this gloriousstage where Wang Guo Tong, an internationally renowned erhu master, is playing a tune called'Reflection of the Moon on the Waters'. His grey hair can't hide his long-term dedication to thisinstrument. His soft fingertips grace the strings, proudly presenting the Chinese folk music. His musicconveys a sense of tranquility and a sense of individual space, creating this scene. His exquisite erhumusic touches the hearts of the entire audience . . . . . .A bamboo erhu marks the beginning of a careerin musicOne can't help thinking Wang's enchanting music is a resultof hard work and diligent effort over the course of a lifetime.The beauty of autumn must follow the relentless heat insummer. It comes from a continuous drive to pioneer, seedand cultivate. All this hard work is preparation for harvestingthe fruits.Some crystal-clear raindrops drift along with his youth,purifying his memory as a flashback of his past. Born in 1939in Dalian, China, to parents who didn't make their livings inmusic, Wang Guo Tong was fascinated with music from ayoung age. He played the flute and xiao. He moved to Tianjinwith his family at the age of six. There, the people who soldmusical instruments on the streets used to carry and play theerhu to solicit business as they moved from street to street.Wang Guo Tong said, "I was enchanted with the uniquesound of the erhu, so I bought a bamboo erhu and tried tolearn it by myself through trial and error".At age 10, he was brought to a teacher, from whom hereceived formal training in playing the erhu. At 16, he wasenrolled in a middle school affiliated to the CentralConservatory of Music as a fourth year student. After threeyears of professional training, he was admitted in TraditionalInstruments Department of the Central Conservatory ofMusic.During the period of time he studied as a university student,Wang Guo Tong practiced the instrument and participated ina lot of performances. His undaunting drive to work hard ledhim to get high grades in school. With excellent academicresults and a recommendation from Zhao Feng, President ofthe Central Conservatory of Music, Wang Guo Tong wasapproved to graduate ahead of time by the Ministry ofCulture. He landed a job at the university as an erhu teacherunder Department of Traditional Instruments. At this point hewas only 21 years old.
Continuous exploration and innovation in thepath to excel on the erhuExperience is the best source of education. Each timeWang practiced, he explored ways to improve, therebysecuring his path to success. The more he practiced, themore he was prepared to perform.There is a saying, "creativity is built with joy, and on pain." Itrequires effort and hard work. For decades, Wang Guo Tongcontinued to innovate, exploring his ability to play the erhu,and composed numerous works that were well received bythe public.Wang Guo Tong was the principal player, and then artisticdirector, of the China Broadcasting Chinese Orchestra in theearly 70s. In order to modernise erhu music, he composedand re-arranged a lot of compositions which were widelypopular and still are, even today, including: 'Homesick Song''Stand up Song', 'Galloping on the Prairie' and 'Delighted toSee Layers of Wheat Fields'.Connie Chiu (L), the interviewer and writer of thisarticle pictured with Wang Guo Tong.In 1991, Wang Guo Tong was appointed as Head of theChinese Music Department, Hong Kong Academy forPerforming Arts. He held this post for 13 years. During histime in Hong Kong, he noticed different aesthetics andcultures from Hong Kong and overseas audiences. To widenhis musical horizons, he re-arranged a lot of erhu music indifferent forms and styles. He adapted music materials thatthe public was familiar with, and based on these hecomposed and re-arranged works, such as 'Random Thoughtsin front of a Dresser in Autumn', 'Princess Chang PingFantasia', 'Pictures – Sing on a Boat at Night', 'A Flower is nota Flower', 'Find Plum Blossom while Snowing', 'Red BeansLyrics', 'When Will You Come Again', as well as Guangdongmusic like 'Hungry Horse Bell' and 'Moon Palace'.In January of 1988, Wang was in a car accident in Beijing. He wason the edge of death. He suddenly came to realise the true meaningof life and wanted to be part of nature and stay close to spirituality.Since then, he has been devoted to Buddhism which has had greatinfluence on his later erhu work. 'Ode to Goddess of Mercy' and'Heaven' have deep spiritual meaning.Footprints across the worldAs Wang’s fingers run across the strings, rhythms ripple acrossthe mighty sea and land without boundary. His music isconstantly dancing and meaningful. In the coming years,whenever he looks back, he will never forget the moment heachieved success for the first time of his life.Wang Guo Tong has been invited to perform and give lecturesacross the world. For decades, he never settled with his level ofability, and kept on improving himself. He composed and rearrangedhundreds of works. He wrote more than 20 books andrecorded more than 50 audio-visual products. His artisticachievements have seen him included in various Who's Whobooks, such as "Dictionary of Contemporary Chinese Culture andArts Celebrities", "Portraits of Chinese and Foreign Cultural and ArtsCelebrities", "Dictionary of Chinese Artists", and "Dictionary ofInternational Biographies" published by International BiographicalCentre, Cambridge, England. He has many students, one of whomis his son, Ray Wang. His son is also a famous erhu musician. Helearnt erhu at the age of 5 and was outstanding.Wang Guo Tong notes that 2010 marks the 50th anniversary sincehe began to teach, and he plans to hold a concert at his almamater, the Central Conservatory of Music, and a concert tour ofsome cities. In addition, he will continue to create, write and editerhu teaching materials which represent his five decades ofteaching experience. During his lifetime, he will continue tomake efforts in contributions to the art of erhu.As one ages, changes are inevitable and appear as often asripples on the surface of water. Time is drifting away. It acts likesand on the fingertips, quietly sliding into the current of water.It leaves no trace, but unforgettable memory of the enchantingerhu performance deeply ingrained in our hearts."The public is delighted with the erhu works which I havere-arranged and composed. I am very pleased andencouraged by that. Music should not be catered for asmall circle of elites, but should reach out to the generalpublic and generate resonance......" Wang Guo Tong says.Wang Guo Tong believes the creation of erhu musicflourishes on diversification and can be conveyed throughdifferent styles. So it can reach out to every fabric of thepublic and suit different aesthetic tastes.
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