Cultural News: Guzheng + Fashion, what makes Chinese culture “break through the circle”?

“Young people, don’t be afraid. When you are ready, just do it!”

On the banks of the Garonne River in Bordeaux, France, passers-by hurried along, but stopped to listen to a melodious music. Looking for the source, it turned out to be a Chinese girl, accompanied by a guzheng, wearing a Hanfu costume and a veil. The moving notes flowed from her dancing fingertips, bringing a completely different oriental beauty to the streets of the old city full of European style.

This post-95s girl who plays Chinese traditional musical instruments in a foreign country is named Peng Jingxuan. "Bang Peng Peng Bang Peng" is her online name. Amid the lingering sounds of the guzheng, Peng Jingxuan is not only a professional guzheng player, but also a disseminator and innovator of traditional culture. We connected with Peng Peng remotely over the weekend to listen to her unique understanding of "guzheng + trend".

01 The Origin of the Innovative Perspective of Cultural Integration

Peng Peng has been practicing Guzheng since she was a child. She studied Guzheng at the Chinese Instrumental Music Department in college and learned a lot of playing skills. In this regard, she has been thinking about whether she needs to expand her understanding of instrument playing by trying new learning methods or understanding different music systems. During college, Peng Peng often participated in various professional lectures at the school to broaden her horizons. In one lecture, the school invited a professor from the Paris Conservatory of Music to share, and Peng Peng learned about the theoretical framework of the discipline of musicology. After in-depth thinking, Peng Peng believes that practical and theoretical learning can complement each other, which may help him have a better understanding when playing Guzheng. Therefore, Peng Peng chose to go to France to study musicology.

Musicology not only brings Peng Peng a new perspective on performance, but also a new understanding of "music and culture". The knowledge of musicology lays a theoretical foundation for practice, allowing Peng Peng to look at and understand a new piece of music more rationally and logically when he gets it, and prepare for performance.

In addition, when asked why she chose the harp as her second major as a graduate student, Peng Peng said: Finding the similarities and differences between Eastern and Western musical instruments is a very interesting thing in itself. In the eyes of Westerners, our guzheng is somewhat similar to a horizontal harp. When learning, Peng Peng not only pays attention to the skills of playing, but also focuses on understanding the craftsmanship and development history of the instrument. In the process of learning these two instruments, she further realized the similarities and differences between Eastern and Western music and culture, which helped her to better find a balance when conveying Chinese culture through music. In addition, Peng Peng also encourages everyone to actively explore different disciplines and different cultural environments. Many interesting ideas are gradually emerging in such cultural collisions and field integrations.

02 The persistence of playing Chinese musical instruments on the streets

Music and culture are inseparable. When Peng Peng first arrived in France, he often participated in various practices and exchange activities and worked hard to learn local culture. There are often many performers playing or singing in the streets and alleys of France. Peng Peng often stops to listen and thinks that this atmosphere of communication through music is great. However, these street performers naturally play Western instruments. Peng Peng couldn't help but wonder: If Chinese folk instruments are played on the streets, can more people feel the charm of Chinese culture in music?

When Peng Peng first arrived in France, he actually didn't bring his guzheng with him, so he had been thinking about this idea for half a year. When he went home for the first time, Peng Peng resolutely took the guzheng to France with him. With the support and encouragement of his friends, Peng Peng mustered up the courage to go to the street for the first time to set up the guzheng and began to play some of the songs he was familiar with in China. "In fact, I encountered a lot of trouble at the beginning. The guzheng itself is very heavy and the volume is not very loud, so an external amplification device is needed. Fortunately, my friends are very willing to help carry and debug!" When the sound of the piano sounded, more and more audiences began to stop, and Peng Peng was immersed in the process of "communicating with the audience through music." After the first performance, there was naturally a second time, and even year after year...

When talking about "persistence", Peng Peng said with a smile that he did not find it difficult to persist, and he did not even realize that so much time had passed. Peng Peng really likes playing the guzheng. In the first half year after arriving in France, he missed the guzheng that had accompanied him for many years since he was a child. At the same time, it is also a pleasant thing to have a stage where you can perform. Enjoy the process of playing and enjoy the stage - because of love, persistence does not seem to be a difficult thing. Walking out of the room on a sunny day and playing on the street has become an opportunity to relax from busy studies.

03 The touching moments in a foreign country

Every performance has a touching moment. Beauty is universal, whether in the East or the West, beautiful things always touch people's hearts. People often praise Peng Peng for playing the guzheng as an "angel"; elderly people will bend down tremblingly to take down the guzheng brochure in front of Peng Peng, and patiently flip through it, just to understand this mysterious and moving oriental instrument; there are also children who often hold their cheeks and watch Peng Peng play, and after the performance, they come to ask Peng Peng "What instrument is this", and curiously reach out to touch the strings. After a few days, the children come again, and they will proudly introduce to other children in the crowd "This is a Chinese instrument called guzheng", even though the unfamiliar word "guzheng" is difficult to pronounce in French. In these moments, Peng Peng will feel that sharing Chinese music and promoting Chinese culture is more meaningful.

Many audience members said that they had never known or understood this kind of Chinese musical instrument before, but they all felt that it sounded very "natural", like flowing water, as if it was part of nature, and very catchy, and they were immediately attracted. During Peng Peng's performance, many Westerners who had never heard this kind of sound naturally paid attention to this unique instrument and Chinese culture. The influence brought by his own performance being "seen" and "heard" gave Peng Peng more encouragement.

04 Street performance is a more wonderful experience

Street performances are more casual. For example, Peng Peng will decide the next song to play based on the subtle atmosphere between him and the audience. Street musicians often have a relaxed attitude towards "playing music". They often have some improvisations and have more casual exchanges and interactions with the audience. This street experience is an important supplement to the experience of concert halls and stages, and it enriches the understanding of music performance.

Peng Peng likes this casual atmosphere very much. She likes to travel around the world with her beloved guzheng, meet different scenery and people, and then record these scenes.

05 “Guzheng + Fashion” breaks through the circle

Peng Peng first filmed performance videos to record the wonderful moments of his life as a student abroad. Peng Peng has always focused on his studies. The first viral video actually came from a tourist who stopped on the street, and it was not planned in advance. After becoming a popular blogger, Peng Peng is committed to "using high-quality music for cultural output" and building a "bridge" for the exchange of music and culture between China and the West.

In terms of subsequent topic selection, Peng Peng wants to complete his plan of "traveling with the guzheng" first; in addition, he wants to do more content about the collision and exchange of Chinese and Western music. In France, Peng Peng met many different musicians and composers, and there will be more musical collaborations in the future, such as playing Chinese-style music with Western musicians, and using music to achieve cultural exchange. If some of our unique culture is not seen, Westerners may never deliberately understand it, and there is no way to know it. Peng Peng is committed to achieving more cross-cultural exchanges through music, so that Chinese music can be heard and Chinese culture can be seen.

06 Become a diverse slash youth

"Don't treat your interest as a career" and "Don't treat your hobby as a pursuit" may be because they are afraid that the hard work of work will wipe out their original interest and passion. Peng Peng must have learned the guzheng out of interest, but the process of practicing is very intensive and even mechanical, and there must have been times when he felt bored and tired. However, when this interest becomes a habit and then a career, it will naturally become something you cannot do without in your life.

When our deliberate practice accumulates until we become proficient, interest is not just an interest, but can help us express our emotions better and become a tool for our survival. Interest and career are not contradictory. If you really feel tired, let yourself take a break for a while and change your mind. For example, if you are tired of practicing the guzheng, you can practice the harp. It may be easier to discover the different beauty between the two instruments.

"Slash Youth" is also a good state. It can give us some diverse labels and develop our different interests. Taking self-media as an example, you need to start from what you are good at and interested in. Only if you really like it can you stick to it. At the same time, when you really develop a new interest or label, it must mean exploring and learning new fields. For example, if you are doing self-media, you have to learn audio and video editing and beautification from scratch, and you may also need to understand the common sense of operation. Since you have decided to do it, you must be mentally prepared and stick to it.

As the Chinese Student Network Ambassador, Peng Peng advises international students to learn about the cultural background and customs of the country they want to go to in advance, and choose a country they really like. During the study abroad period, you must remember "why you want to study abroad" and arrange your study and life around your goals. Studying abroad is a test of self-control and self-management, so everyone must arrange their time well.

Peng Peng's experience is very consistent with the concept of "the world needs light, and everyone can shine". She said with a smile:

“Young people should not be afraid. If you think of something and are ready, just do it! Be confident in your professional knowledge. If you want to explore new areas, you must spend time learning new skills or new content. Have a good attitude! As long as you have really tried your best, it doesn’t matter if you don’t do well. We are still young and the cost of trial and error is low. It’s right to explore your passions, develop your interests, and try more!”

During our conversation with Peng Peng, we felt that this popular blogger was so kind and lovely. In her description, persistence did not seem to be a difficult thing because of passion. The factors behind success did not seem to be as complicated as we imagined.

But we also know that the process of success is not easy. It takes practice day after day to bravely and confidently stand on the streets and on the stage and have a brilliant moment. Just like Peng Peng said, to find and develop your own interests, you need to spend time and effort to do it, and you need to try bravely. We wish Peng Peng a better future, and we also hope that you who read this can also find your own strengths and loves. Explore your passions, try bravely, and you can also shine!

Author of this article: Youguang Team, Editor: Senior Wuhao.