Tradition in his veins

Zhan Leqi, a 24-year-old participant in the program who returned home from the United Kingdom last year, shares many of Jiang's views.

Zhan studied in Melbourne for three years from 2010 and then studied at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester for four years.

He enjoys tracing the history of both cities by going to museums and libraries, and he even wrote an essay about the connection between music and Manchester.

Zhan was born into a family that embraced his long-standing obsession with history. He started to read historical records in primary school and in 2016 he started a history column on the public WeChat account of his father, who is an educator.

As a pianist, he loves to display his Chinese roots and perform traditional folk songs at events.

When he was invited to perform in front of a foreign audience, he chose to open with the famous Chinese song, Jasmine Flower. Zhan is only too happy to oblige with an explanation when audiences ask about the stories behind the songs he performs.

The emerging musician also created a series of music pieces based on Chinese mythology.

He is currently composing melodies for the 305 poems in the Book of Songs to pass down the Chinese classic to future generations through music.

Zhan says the skills he acquired from museums have reaffirmed his decision to produce more Chinese-style works.

"I never deliberately try to integrate traditional Chinese culture and history into my music because it's already in my veins," Zhan says.

"What do I think about Beijing?" asks Jiang.

"Instead of defining it with phrases like 'a metropolis with 20 million people', I would prefer to describe it as a place that brings us a strong sense of closeness.

"I believe anyone who has been living here and learning about its culture and history at its museums understands my feelings toward the city."

Contact the writer at xingwen@chinadaily.com.cn