The day I interviewed Chen Leiji he was elegantly garbed in white silk. Before beginning to play, as if meditating, he closed his eyes for a long moment. Then his skilled fingers plucked into life the tune LoftyMountains and FlowingRivers, and while his mind remained at peace, he brought forth the spirit of the classics with the melodic charm of the guqin, a seven-string instrument similar to the zither.
"I can't play well if it's not quiet," explained Chen. "And if I was not in the mood, I could hardly lead my audience into my world of music, which, to me, comes from another planet."
In the Chinese language, gu means "ancient," and qin means "musical instrument." Guqin, also known as seven-stringed qin, is thought to be one of the oldest plucked instruments in China, a treasure of traditional Chinese culture, and the most melodious of the other ancient instruments, which respectively fall into eight categories of materials: metal, stone, string, bamboo, gourd, clay, leather and wood.
Chen Leiji is proud of his mastery with this great musical instrument.
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Child prodigy Chen Leiji.
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A native of Shanghai born to a family of musicians in 1967, Chen Leiji began to learn the guqin at the age of nine. Studying at the Middle School Attached to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, at the age of 12 he began to specialize in the guqin. Advancing to college he was fortunate to train as a disciple of master player Gong Yi, and a solid foundation for his future career was thus laid.
"He is a gifted player of the guqin," appraised Master Gong.
The melodies elicited by Chen's fingers are elegant yet powerful, pleasant yet uninhibited. His early mastery of the guqin was evident in his first album, The Unique for the Seven-Stringed, recorded in 1989.
Soon after that album was released, Chen traveled to France to study piano, composition, and conducting. Like many youngsters his age, he considered his move abroad to be a turning point, and many ambitious and fanciful dreams danced through his mind. But, he says, "It was not like what I had imagined." He was disappointed nearly as soon as he set foot in the country.
"I had been playing with the school-owned langshiquan, an antique instrument handed down from the Song Dynasty (960-1279), during my study at the college, but had to return it to the school upon graduation," explained Chen. "I didn't find my favorite instrument until Master Gong gave me his Yanghe, a treasure of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), from his collection. It seemed that, like me, the Yanghe was not accustomed to another culture," he said with a smile.
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Before beginning his journey to France in 1989, bidding farewell to his tutor, Gong Yi, at the train station in Shanghai.
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Soon after he arrived in France, Chen first displayed his talent at HeidelbergUniversity in Germany. "In the beginning I was not inspired because the audiences were from another culture," said Chen. And he longed to return as soon as possible to the place where he felt he belonged.
To his surprise, however, Chen didn't stay long during his first visit home. He soon repacked his bags for his journey back to France, where his life ahead was full of challenge.
Chen suffered much during his wonderings between the two cultures. He didn't have a sense of belonging even when he married a young French woman and their first child was born. He finally made up his mind to settle in France, and after the birth of their second child he decided to learn the French language. He also worked hard to assimilate himself into the local culture, performing at an average of once each month.
The new cultural environment brought about changes in Chen, mostly in his sense of music.
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Chen Leiji in his own studio, Yanghe Guqin Development.
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While learning more about Western music, Chen never overlooked an opportunity to introduce his deeply-rooted culture. He participated in as many musical festivals as possible and directed his own concerts. During his stay in France, he collaborated with other Chinese composers, such as Luo Zhongrong, Liu Yuan, and Chen Qigang. He determinedly attempted to express the art of the guqin in Western way; and their sincere joint efforts are evident in the pieces of Concerto for Guqin and Concerto pour un Instrument de Silence.
In 2003, Chen returned to his homeland to study for a master's degree in conducting at the Central Conservatory of Music. In 2004, his album The History of Yanghe was released, recounting in music the story of himself and his beloved tutor, Master Gong.
Chen became enthusiastic about teaching guqin in 2005, when he moved to Baiziwan, Beijing. In the Chinese language, bai means "hundred," zi means "student," and wan means "bay."
"I'm going to teach 100 students in honor of the name of my community," joked Chen. He also plans to have 100 qins made after the model of his Yanghe in commemoration of his passion for his tutor and in the spirit of goodwill for his students..
