Wooing the West with a Universal Language

WANG RUYING

PENG Jingxuan plucks thestrings of a guzheng ， azither-like instrument.She is giving a street performanceaccompanied by a plushtoy panda， the animal people associatewith China. What makesthis street performance unusualis that it is held under the EiffelTower in Paris.

In another French city， Strasbourg，Zhao Yang plays the pipa ， aChinese lute with four strings. Shewears traditional Chinese clotheswith a pair of stylish sunglasses，which makes her look like a crossbetween an ancient poet and amodern rock star.

Both Peng and Zhao are onlineinfluencers on the Chinese videoplatform Bilibili. They post videosof their street performances inFrance and receive praise fromthe viewers in response. They alsoshare the videos on YouTube， attractingmany foreign viewers from all over the world who leavenumerous compliments in differentlanguages.

“France has a popular streetperformance culture. But whenI came here to study， I never sawChinese instruments played on thestreets. I want to share Chinesemusic with foreigners so they canfeel its charm，” Peng said.

Since she started performingin the streets in 2018， she has feltan increase of foreigners interestin Chinese culture. She remembersa French child pointing toher guzheng and telling otherchildren， “Look， this is a guzhengfrom China！” She is also delightedthat another French child praisedher as a fairy from China. Whattouches her most is that sometimessome of her audience cameup to her after the performanceto thank her， saying that althoughthey had never been to China， hermusic had touched them.

In Strasbourg， Zhaos gorgeous outfit is a magnet that draws crowds. “Our Chinese clothes andinstruments are really eye-catching，”she said. “Sometimes they drawpeople even before I start playing.Viewers take photos on their mobilephones， so the pipa and Chineseclothes are stored in their albums.”

In order to spread Chinese culture，Zhao has studied the costumesand hairstyles of different dynastiesin Chinese history and incorporatesthem to show the diversity of Chineseculture to the rest of the world.In addition， she adds modern elementsas well. For example， whenshe plays La gloire à mes genouxfrom the famous French rock operaLe Rouge et le Noir ， she wearssunglasses to create a unique look.“Many people think traditional Chineseculture is mysterious and quiet，but I want to show them that it hasinfinite possibilities and vitality，” sheexplained.

Moving Exchanges

Through their street performances，the young women have not only won a lot of applause， but alsomade many new friends， whichhas built a bridge of friendship inSino-French cultural exchange.

Zhao mentioned an elderlywoman who helped her blindhusband walk up near Zhaos pipa .With her permission， he touchedit and said， “Its pretty much whatI imagined. I went to China in the1970s and 1980s. When I heardyour music， I knew it was fromChina.” This experience moved her.

Sometimes Zhao takes her pipawith her when she travels， whichalso gets her impressive feedback.For example， in Nice， one listenertold her after a performance：“Thank you for the wonderfulmusic！ Everyone has enjoyed thebeautiful weather and scenerywith your music and clothes.” Itmade her understand her missionbetter： while spreading traditionalChinese culture， she should relishart and enjoy the moment withher audience.

Peng had precious moments ofinteraction with people in Nice aswell. Once she met a pianist with whom she gave an impromptu performance.The sounds of the twoinstruments from different cultureswere perfectly harmonized，creating a memorable experience.This successful improvization gaveher more confidence. Then sheventured out in Bordeaux， whereshe had a wonderful “conversation”about classical and modern musicwith a street guitarist.

Peng has seen her audienceparticipating in her performances.For example， when she performedPor una Cabeza ， a famous tangomusic， three pairs of tango dancerswere so enthusiastic that theyspontaneously began to dance tothe music， which delighted her.“It made me realize that I canhave different kinds of interactionwith my audience while deliveringbeautiful music，” she said.

Innovative Creations

With their increasing popularity，the two women are continuingto come up with innovativeways to provide more specialvisual and auditory enjoyment to their audiences.

Peng believes that the guzhengcan play all kinds of music， fastor slow， loud or quiet， classic ormodern， pop or electronic， thereare no boundaries for her. Heraim is to present the rich， diverse，and inclusive style of the guzhengto foreigners.

“I want Westerners to betterunderstand and accept traditionalChinese instruments， so I sometimesplay pieces they are familiarwith to showcase the charmof the guzheng ，” she said. “In thisprocess， I adapt the music tosome extent， adding the uniquemusical features and techniquesof the guzheng performance toWestern music.” She plans to workwith a French electronic musicmaster to create more compositionsso that more people can feelthe charm of Chinese culture.

Zhao is also exploring newpossibilities. She has a sense oftrends and once performed apopular Chinese song that wentviral during the 2024 Spring Festival.“When I choose a song， Ialways consider first whether it issuitable for playing on the pipa .I also try some innovative playingtechniques. For example， I trysome bass and guitar techniquesto enrich the music of the pipa ，”she said.

Zhao is adapting the works ofthe famous Chinese rock bandSecond Hand Roses to combinemodern Chinese rock musicwith the classical instrument.“Traditional Chinese culture hasgreat vitality， just like our youngpeople，” she said. “It is not just amemory of the past， it is enteringa new era of bright prospects.”