"I hope to organize my concert in the near future, so I can help more people learn about Chinese folk music." Zheng Xiaohui, a postgraduate student in Milan, Italy, shared that wish during an interview at the beginning of the year. She was happy when her wish came true. In May, Zheng performed erhu (a two-stringed fiddle) while her schoolmate, Ma Ruomeng, performed pipa (a stringed, pear-shaped instrument) during their outdoor concert in Milan. Having played erhu since she was 9, Zheng has always enjoyed using the traditional Chinese instrument as a "bridge" to promote cultural communications between China and the rest of the world. Earlier this year, Zheng was invited to perform during an exhibition in Milan, to commemorate the 700th anniversary of the death of Marco Polo, the legendary Italian traveler.

Outdoor Performances

Parco Sempione is a delightful urban park, with tremendous green space, in the center of Milan. In May, approximately 100 people gathered in the park to watch Zheng and Ma during their concert.

"We performed several classic melodies, on erhu and/or pipa. During the echo-session, in particular, Ma and I performed Bella Ciao, a very popular song with Italians. The audience was surprised when they realized the song, which they were quite familiar with, could be performed so well on traditional Chinese instruments," Zheng recalls.

Zheng, who was born in east China's Shandong Province, began learning to play erhu when she was 9. Her parents encouraged her to learn the instrument, because they believed the learning process would help Zheng improve her concentration, even when doing other things. As it turns out, Zheng has exceeded her parents' expectations; she has won many awards, during folk-music competitions in China, and she has wowed audiences overseas.

In 2021, Zheng moved to Milan to pursue a master's degree in architecture at Politecnico di Milano. Two years later, she began performing erhu on the street, after she viewed several street performances online. "I was impressed by a violinist in Rome. The spectators danced excitedly in the open air, and the atmosphere was so cool! I decided I should give it a try, by bringing my erhu performance to the street," Zheng says. Since April 2023, she has spent much of her leisure time performing erhu on the street, while wearing traditional Chinese clothing.

Communications, Through Music

Since her first street performance, Zheng has received flowers and drawings of her playing erhu from her audiences. She has continuously been impressed by audiences' reactions.

"Once, I performed Bella Ciao in front of Duomo di Milano, or the landmark known as Milan Cathedral. The audience gradually formed a big circle around me. They applauded my erhu playing. An elderly man started to dance … and he was soon joined by a younger woman. It made me believe, more firmly, that music has no border," Zheng says.

In April this year, an exhibition was held in Milan to commemorate the 700th anniversary of the death of Marco Polo. Organizers invited Zheng to play erhu in the exhibition hall. Her performance was part of the exhibition, and Zheng was asked to play music related to the Silk Road.

"Both in Italy and China, the name Marco Polo is widely known. Hundreds of years ago, in his book, Marco Polo described his voyage to and experiences in Asia. His book greatly aroused Europeans' curiosity about Oriental culture. I felt honored that I was invited to perform during such a remarkable occasion. I played a melody about the Silk Road, which I had rehearsed when I was with a folk-music orchestra on campus, in China," Zheng says. Many of the spectators were attracted by her music, especially as they entered the exhibition hall.

"Music is filled with our emotions. By combining exhibits with the erhu music I was playing, spectators were able to obtain an enlarged, or extended, emotional 'space,' so they could better imagine Marco Polo's colorful experiences during his travels. To me, the charm of music reflects more the charm of cultural communications," Zheng explains.

'Dandelion's Seed'

In addition to traditional Chinese folk music, Zheng sometimes performs — on erhu — music popular with Westerners. In fact, she is working on an innovative approach to combine electronic erhu and modern music forms, such as jazz and rock 'n' roll.

Ye Peng, one of Zheng's schoolmates, has suggested she record and post online videos of her street performances. "Like a 'dandelion's seed' spread across the Internet, Zheng has promoted erhu music, as a charm of Chinese culture, to more and more places around the world. This is very meaningful," Ye says.

Besides performing on her own, Zheng has performed with people who play other instruments, including those who play pipa, the cello or saxophone. Ma, who is good at playing pipa, has been inspired by Zheng; as such, she has performed several times with Zheng on the street. Both Zheng and Ma want to promote the charm of Chinese folk music to people in other countries.

Near the end of her recent interview with Women of China, Zheng detailed her academic progress. As a student completing a master's degree in architecture, Zheng has been busy working on her thesis about the sustainable development of architecture and urban areas.

Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo (both in Italy) will cohost the 2026 Winter Olympics. Using the Olympics as inspiration, Zheng has drafted a plan that could be used to transform an abandoned train station in Milan into accommodations.

"Although the architecture I have designed will not be constructed in reality, I hope to present my idea about how we can possibly make better use of already existing urban resources. Take my graduation thesis as an example; I have redesigned the train station into a hotel, which could accommodate visitors during the Olympic Games. What's more, the building could be transformed into a students' dormitory after the sports event," Zheng says.

Photos from Interviewee

(Women of China English Monthly July 2024)

Editor: Wang Shasha