China News Service, Hong Kong, February 8th: Hong Kong guzheng player Ma Hang: hopes to spread Chinese national music to the world
Author Dai Menglan Chen Xiaoxian
As the Spring Festival approaches, a Hong Kong youth music performance pop-up event hosted by Bauhinia Magazine was held on the 7th at Pei Qiao College in Hong Kong. Classic music such as "Descendants of the Dragon" and "Under the Lion Rock" gradually played, and the audience burst into applause. Among them, the guzheng solo "Fishing Boat Sings Evening" and the guzheng ensemble "Fighting the Typhoon" were particularly eye-catching and brought surprises to the audience.
A Hong Kong youth music performance pop-up event organized by Bauhinia Magazine was held on the 7th at Pei Qiao College in Hong Kong. The picture shows Ma Hang (middle) and students performing guzheng. Photo provided by interviewee
The two guzheng pieces were performed by Ma Hang, a young guzheng player from Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong Cihang Zheng Troupe formed by her students. In an interview with a reporter from China News Service, Ma Hang said that the reason why he chose to perform the two classic pieces of music, "Fishing Boats Sing Evening" and "Fighting Typhoon", was because he hoped that guzheng art would continue to flourish in Hong Kong in the Year of the Dragon, and at the same time, he also expressed This reflects her attitude towards innovation and progress in the art of guzheng playing.
Guzheng is one of China's oldest national musical instruments. A poem written by Shen Yue of the Southern Dynasties goes: "The Qin Zheng spits out the perfect tune, and the jade pillars sing the clear music. The strings break according to the high tension, and the sound continues with the wonderful fingers. I only hear the sound lingering on the beam, but I would rather know that the face is like jade." Ma Hang introduced that in recent years, more and more people have More and more Hong Kong people know and understand guzheng. Recently, she and her students have performed guzheng at many Spring Festival activities, which has been welcomed by the public.
Speaking of his relationship with guzheng, Ma Hang joked that it was because he was influenced by his cousin who studied guzheng when he was a child, and the seeds of becoming a guzheng player were planted in his heart. In order to learn guzheng, she went from her hometown of Yuncheng, Shanxi Province to study at the High School Affiliated to the Xi'an Conservatory of Music in Shaanxi Province when she was in middle school. After graduating from the Central Conservatory of Music, he happened to come to Hong Kong for an exchange performance. Ma Hang fell in love with Hong Kong's culture and weather, so he chose to apply for a master's degree in music from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, and stayed in Hong Kong after graduation. Currently specializing in guzheng playing and teaching.
At the 25th Anniversary Concert of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region held by the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts in 2022, Malaysia Airlines performed the song "As It Is", which received favorable reviews. Last year, she founded the Cihang Zheng Troupe, aiming to provide a performance platform for Hong Kong guzheng students. Ma Hang said that Hong Kong society has a fast pace, and everyone inevitably has some pressure in life and work. The Cihang Kite Troupe is often invited to perform charity performances. He hopes that classic folk music can help people soothe their impetuous emotions.
Currently, many Hong Kong guzheng players such as Professor Xu Lingzi and Ma Hang, professors of the Chinese Music Department of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, are preparing to register the Hong Kong Guzheng Society. They plan to hold the Hong Kong Guzheng Society's establishment and Ma Hang guzheng concert at the Hong Kong City Hall in March. Beijing will be invited to Famous guzheng players from Xi'an, Xi'an and Hong Kong performed on the same stage with the Hong Kong City Chamber Orchestra. Malaysia Airlines hopes to use the guzheng and symphony orchestra to perform innovative interpretations of classic repertoire, reflecting the cultural background of Hong Kong, an international metropolis that combines China and the West, promote the spread of Chinese national musical instruments represented by the guzheng in Hong Kong and overseas, and rejuvenate the guzheng style. . (over)