ChinaDaily[980304-8]

[Chinese News]

China Daily

98 / 03 / 04 /

***************************************************************************
1. Verdi's Requiem Mass a must
2. Weekend teaching concerts a big hit
3. Culture Notes (Page 9, Date: 03/04/98)
4. New, young faces for the Ninth NPC EDITOR's note:
5. What's on (Page 10, Date: 03/04/98)
***************************************************************************

Verdi's Requiem Mass a must
ADVANCED recording techniques make it easy to listen to any music.
But British conductor Sir John Barbirolli (1899-1970) once said
that, however good the recording might be, it was never quite like
"the real thing."
Huge pieces like Verdi's "Requiem" -- with dynamic range, scale
and structure, plus its intensity -- make his point vividly clear.
It should only be heard "live" in concert halls, churches or
theatres with good acoustics, not in a private room through a CD
player.
You agree. But you may argue that chances to listen "live" to such
big works are not easy to come by, since they are not popular
works in many orchestras' repertoires.
All of these points make this weekend's two concerts of Verdi's
"Requiem," to be performed by the China National Symphony
Orchestra a rare opportunity for music lovers.
The concerts will be held on March 6-7 at the Century Theatre. It
will involve 100 orchestral players and 100 singers -- almost the
same number of performers as when it was premiered in 1874 at the
church of San Marco in Milan.
Lead singers include US-based soprano Fu Haiyan, mezzo-soprano
Yang Jie from Singapore, tenor Wei Song from the Shanghai Opera
Theatre and baritone Wang Haitao from the China National Opera &
Ballet Theatre.
It will be conducted by leading Chinese conductor Yu Long, in his
first appearance with the China National Symphony Orchestra.
Yu was born into a musical family. His grandfather was Ding
Shande, one of China's most eminent composers of his generation.
Feeling that he himself could hardly match his grandfather's
achievements, Yu switched to conducting at the Shanghai
Conservatory of Music. He continued his studies in Europe,
graduating from the Berlin Conservatory and immediately starting
his career in Europe in the late '80s.
Yu, together with another Europe-based conductor Tang Muhai, are
said to be the only two Chinese conductors who have extensive
opportunities to work with the fine orchestras and opera houses in
Europe.
He has also worked with prominent artists including Krystian
Zimerman and Matt Haimovitz.
On top of this, Yu has more experience with opera than any other
Chinese conductor.
He has worked with the prestigious Staatsoper Berlin in Germany
and the Opera de Nice in France for years, having conducted "La
Traviata," "Aida," "Turandot" and "Werther."
Since 1994, he has produced and conducted one opera each year in
Hong Kong. In 1996, he worked with the Shanghai Opera Theatre in
its production of "Romeo and Juliet" and "Carmen," which attracted
an international cast. Both were a success in terms of artistic
appeal and audience attendance.
Yu is famous for his flair for dramatic emphasis, as well as his
power to keep the performance emotionally charged from beginning
to end.
"Requiem" will be a challenge, Yu said -- to himself, the
orchestra and the audiences as well.
He started months ago to read the scores -- which is certainly
against his usual reputation of reading scores only a couple of
weeks before rehearsals.
For his "Requiem," he said he would be very faithful to Verdi, who
preferred not to consider it as a sacred work, but as an opera.
"It is a drama after all," Yu said. "It conveys totally human
feelings, emotionally and dramatically."
Prior to its creation, no requiem mass had enjoyed such immense
popularity. Never before had there been a requiem mass like it:
agnostic and dramatic.
"It is a Mass not for the dead but for the living," Yu said.
Rehearsals began yesterday. With maestro Charles Dutoit's
conducting still echoing in their hearts, the musicians of the
National Symphony Orchestra are already caught in the demands of
Yu's musical thoughts and approaches to this monumental work.
_____________________________________________________________

_Date: 03/04/98_
_Author: Mao Jingbo_
_Copyright© by China Daily_

***************************************************************************

Weekend teaching concerts a big hit
GAO XUAN is six years old, and she has studied erhu, a
two-stringed Chinese instrument, for one and a half years.
Besides her father's teaching, she attends a regular weekend music
class -- the "Weekend Concerts and Lectures for Students" held by
the Beijing Concert Hall.
These music classes have been available since October 1996 and are
held every Saturday and Sunday afternoon. So far there have been
about one hundred lectures of this kind.
Gao's parents applied for a member card of the Concert Hall for
which they prepay 1,000 yuan (US$120) for tickets and 100 yuan
(US$12) each year for membership dues. With the membership card
they can make reservations by telephone and get a 12 per cent
discount off regular ticket prices.
"We both work in a research institute and my monthly salary is
about 500 yuan (US$60)," said Zhang, mother of Gao Xuan.
"But we think it is worth the money for our daughter to have some
music education," she explained.
Fortunately the price of the student series is quite low: 10, 20
and 30 yuan.
Perhaps because Gao Xuan studies the erhu, she and her parents
especially loved the "Traditional Chinese Music Series" by the
China Song and Dance Ensemble.
They not only listened to the lectures but also took part in the
"live teaching" programme. Last time Gao Xuan was the volunteer
student who played erhu on stage and received coaching directly
from the professional erhu player of the ensemble.
Now on weekends if Gao Xuan's parents have time, they bring her to
the Concert Hall.
During the course of taking her child to the music lectures Mrs
Zhang herself has also learned a great deal about music. "I am
almost addicted to it now," she said. "The lectures of Yang
Chunlin, the conductor of the ensemble are also quite
interesting," said Gao Xuan's father.
Conductor Yang Chunlin and the China Song and Dance Ensemble have
given two lectures and performances at the special concerts for
students this year.
During the first concert, Yang and his colleagues introduced
classical musical pieces for traditional Chinese bowed
instruments.
At the second concert, last month, they performed a body of works
created after the founding of New China, ranging from the 1950s to
the 1990s.
That day's tickets did not sell very well, for on such a fine
February day many people prefer going outdoors, said Zhang Jian, a
staff member of the Concert Operation Department of the Concert
Hall.
But still many parents, including Gao Xuan's and her parents, came
with their children to listen to the music and lecture.
Adults comprise about half of the audience.
The concert began with "Jianghe Shui" (River Water), a folk tune
from northeastern China, rearranged by Hang Haihuai. The music
tells the story of a woman who turned into stone as she stood
waiting in vain for her husband to come back.
"The use of minor second modulation gives the plaintive melody
special charm," explained Yang.
The concert featured the huqin (two-stringed traditional Chinese
instruments) family, which include the erhu, banhu, gaohu and
zhonghu. Playing solo pieces with these instruments, the musicians
introduced regional folk music to the audience.
During the question-and-answer period, an 11-year-old girl named
Zhuo Xuefei asked why the gaohu player put the instrument between
his legs when playing it.
Yang explained that the gaohu's sound is higher and sharper than
the erhu. Because it is often used in Guangdong music, which is a
musical form developed from the tea houses and inns of Guangdong
Province, the players had to soften the sound by putting the
instrument between their legs.
There were a number of other questions, one student asking, "What
is the best age for beginning the study of an instrument?" Another
student asked "Is the huqin a minority instrument?" and another,
"What is the difference between traditional Chinese music and
Western music?"
Yang responded carefully to all their questions, until he had to
call a halt, as time had run out.
Yang said learning to play a traditional Chinese instrument is
largely a one-way process.
With the lectures, he hoped to create a light environment for
students to learn some musical knowledge through full
communication with the teachers.
The "live teaching" programme represents his realization of this
idea.
When Yang started the programme, an 11-year-old boy named Zhao
Chen immediately volunteered to perform an erhu work, "War-horses
Galloping" and asked Zhao Hanyang, an erhu player in the ensemble
for advice.
Obviously Zhao Chen had practiced very hard. Perhaps that was why
he was so confident.
His skilled performance surprised Zhao Hanyang and the audience.
Zhao Hanyang only told him how to imitate neighing horses.
It was 4:35 pm already. Yang had to end the lecture. Other
volunteer students would have to wait till next time.
But they don't have to wait for long. The Beijing Concert Hall has
scheduled 106 educational concerts to offer basics on opera,
symphony, choral music, chamber music, traditional Chinese music
and piano.
Yang said he and his colleagues with the China Song and Dance
Ensemble will give 12 student concerts.
Yang will come back. And so will many of the audience.
_____________________________________________________________

_Date: 03/04/98_
_Author: Mu Qian _
_Copyright© by China Daily_

***************************************************************************

Culture Notes (Page 9, Date: 03/04/98)
People's premier
CHINA has just released a three-volume work on its late premier
Zhou Enlai, entitled "Zhou Enlai, the People's Premier," to mark
the centennial of his birth on March 5.
The first volume, "A Great Life," recalls his achievements; the
second, "Glorious Thoughts," his thoughts and deeds as a
statesman; and the third, "Sincere Friendship," his friendship
with other revolutionaries, various people, relatives, and foreign
acquaintances.
Zhou was born on March 5, 1898 and died on January 8, 1976. He
served as premier from 1949 to 1976.
Zhou's handwriting
BEIJING Publishing House has released its "Selected Samples Of
Zhou Enlai's Handwriting," with the title written by President
Jiang Zemin, to mark the centennial of the late premier's birth.
The six-volume work was compiled by the Central Archives and
contains 600 examples of Zhou's handwriting done between 1913 and
1975, in inscriptions, letters, and instructions.
Zhou wrote a large number of documents, telegrams and papers, and
many letters and inscriptions during more than half of a century
of revolutionary work. Many of his works reflect his political,
economic, military and diplomatic contributions.
The book also gives readers first-hand access to reliable sources
of information about Zhou.
Folk art festival
THE Sixth Asian Folk Art Festival, which will be staged in
Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province, in October, will feature
the diversity of cultural traditions in Asian countries.
The biennial gala will be sponsored by the Council of
International Organizations of Folk Arts (Ciofa), an organization
established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (Unesco) in 1969.
Ciofa, with a membership list of 67 countries and regions, has
made great efforts to protect traditional cultural and art forms
around the world. China joined Ciofa in 1993.
The festival, which is expected to attract dozens of domestic and
foreign art troupes, will offer a rich assortment of open-air
performances, including song and dance performances, fashion
shows, a lantern fair and a parade.
Work on tower
CHANGSHA -- The Hunan People's Publishing House recently published
a work entitled "the Annals of Yueyang Tower." The tower is a
famous ancient structure in central China's Hunan Province.
The weighty work includes abundant historical documents, records,
photographs and literary works concerning the tower, which was
constructed over 1,900 years ago.
The three-storey wooden structure, which was built during the
Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25-220), stands near Dongting Lake on the
middle reaches of the Yangtze River. (CD-Xinhua)
_____________________________________________________________

_Date: 03/04/98_
_Author: _
_Copyright© by China Daily_

***************************************************************************

New, young faces for the Ninth NPC EDITOR's note:
The Ninth People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislative body,
will convene tomorrow at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
In this new assembly, 60 per cent of the deputies are new faces to
the public. Many of them have come from grassroots villages and
companies. Here are short accounts of five of the newly-elected
NPC deputies.
Chen Xueying
THE past decade has been a period of hard work and considerable
gain for Chen Xueying from South China's Guangdong Province.
With a wish to enjoy a free urban life, Chen left her hometown, a
poor mountainous village in the eastern part of Guangdong, in 1988
and got a job in the Xinhua Precision Machine Tool Company, a
Sino-Japanese joint venture.
"I felt curious and nervous when I first saw a modern production
line," she recalled. She was 19 years old then.
Chen plunged into her work and made herself familiar with the
technical details of every position on the production line. Two
years later, she was promoted to the head of the assembly line.
However, the enterprising young woman was not satisfied with what
she had achieved. She learned modestly from technicians and took
notes of key technical problems on her production line.
Then, she spent three months modifying the process flow chart in
15 areas and readjusted the position chart. In this way the output
of the production line was raised from 1,000 to 1,800 units a day
while the number of workers on the line was cut by 11.
The general manager of the company, Zhang Haoxian, spoke of
another occasion when a new production line had turned out 30,000
faulty stereo components, the repair of which would have been
difficult.
The company had decided to discard them.
At that point, Chen volunteered to repair them and worked extra
hours, saving the company US$100,000.
She was awarded the title "labour heroine" in the national
electronic industry in 1995 and "outstanding youth" in 1996.
This year, she was elected a deputy to the Ninth National People's
Congress and has come to Beijing on behalf of the 300,000 young
workers in Guangdong Province.
Wang Xianshi
Wang Xianshi, elected as a new deputy to the Ninth National
People's Congress for the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region a month
ago, is extremely busy every day with matters related to his
fellow villagers.
He is concerned about the elderly people in the home for the aged,
vegetables in greenhouses and three village-run businesses, among
other things.
Doufuao Village in Togtoh County of Inner Mongolia used to be so
poor that it was well-known only for its debts.
Before Wang Xianshi was elected secretary of the village's
Communist Party Committee in 1991, the annual per capita income of
local farmers was only 600 yuan (US$72).
By last year, the figure had risen to 2,180 yuan (US$263).
The village runs three businesses which have a total output value
of 10 million yuan (US$1.2 million) a year. About 40 per cent of
the households live in newly built brick-and-tile houses which are
spacious and bright, and 90 per cent of families have modern
electric appliances and farm machines.
What is more important, for generations the people living in the
village had been drinking high-fluorine water. Last year the
villagers were able to drink clean tap water.
"We could not have imagined all of these things before," said Hao
Jun, Wang Xianshi's predecessor. "I wasn't doing a good job for
the villagers when I was secretary, so I decided to step down."
The villagers asked Wang Xianshi to head the village Party
Committee, since he, with his pioneering spirit, was already the
richest person in the village. At that time, he was engaged in
contracting construction projects.
Unable to turn his people down, Wang accepted the offer and
invested from his own pocket, more than 200,000 yuan (US$24,096)
into the village business and planting and breeding projects.
Before he came to Beijing to attend the congress, Wang travelled a
little in the neighbouring villages.
He said he came with the farmers' views and suggestions that he
had gathered and will put them forward during the Ninth National
People's Congress.
Ma Like
"I will do my best to make known the aspirations of ordinary
people and safeguard their interests," said Ma Like, a deputy to
the Ninth People's Congress from the Uzbek ethnic group of the
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Ma Like was born into an ordinary family. His father died when he
was only seven years old. "Although we were poor, my mother
managed to make it possible for us to continue our schooling
through her hard work and thrift," he said.
"She taught us to strive to be useful persons to society when we
grew up," 36-year-old Ma Like added.
After graduation from university, Ma worked as a technician in an
electric company in Xinjiang. After nine years in the ranks of the
compnay's workers, he was appointed the company's chief engineer.
His colleagues say that Ma Like is able to win others' respect not
only because of his expertise, but also because he is honest and
sympathetic.
Ma Like said that the standard he has set for himself in life is
to be upright, frank, open and above board, and to do his best to
get along with others.
"All ethnic groups live on the same globe," he said. "As long as
we establish a friendship like that among brothers and sisters, we
can achieve common development."
Like most other people of the Uzbek ethnic group in Xinjiang, Ma
Like is also a descendent of emigrants who came from Uzbekstan
half a century ago. However, he said he had no intention of
returning to Uzbekstan.
"I'm confident about China's future," he said, explaining that
China, after 20 years of reform and opening-up, has brought an end
to the times of commodity shortages.
"China will be more prosperous in the next century," he said.
At the first annual session of the Ninth NPC to be held tomorrow
in Beijing, he will submit proposals on Xinjiang's electric power
development and educational matters.
Wang Yumei
Wang Yumei, from East China's Shandong Province, is excited and
proud that she, a rabbit breeder and only 24 years old, has been
elected a deputy to the Ninth National People's Congress, the
highest body of State power in China.
"Under the positive circumstances of the country's reform and
opening-up, young people can accomplish things as long as they aim
high and have a pioneering spirit," said Wang, who is attending
the Ninth NPC's first annual session in March as its youngest
deputy.
According to Wang's acquaintances, she was smart and adventurous
even when she was only a little girl. And she has become a legend
in the eyes of her village people.
Growing up in a poor rural family, Wang was not able to enter
college after graduating from middle school.
Thanks to a State policy of economic assistance, however, she
obtained a loan of 100,000 yuan (US$12,000) to establish a rabbit
farm.
Then she devoted herself to experiments, poring over literature on
breeding techniques and marketing strategies. Her farm has become
the largest rabbit-raising centre in China with fixed assets of 30
million yuan (US$3.6 million).
As a result, Wang had been selected as one of the 10 outstanding
young farmers in the country.
"It is the market economy and my firm determination that has
brought about my success," the gentle and quiet young woman said
with an air of confidence. "Relying on the assistance of the
government and my own efforts, I managed to surmount the
difficulties."
Wang serves as vice-chairwoman of the China branch of the world's
rabbit-raising association and president of a large rabbit-growers
group in Shandong.
Three months ago, her company bought 4,000 well-bred stud rabbits
from France for 3,000 yuan (US$361) each to improve rabbit breeds
in China.
And not long ago, she leased land in her home county of Jiyang to
establish a science garden for raising rabbits. With the support
of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Youth League,
Wang was able to obtain 15 million yuan (US$1.8 million) in
low-interest loans.
To help more farmers prosper, Wang gave more than 60 training
courses on rabbit-raising in Shandong and other places. Across the
country, more than 40,000 rural households were beneficiaries of
her expertise.
"At least, I want to show that young people, women in particular,
with enterprise and hard work, can have their dreams come true,"
she said.
Xie Shengming
Hongtao (Heart) K Group President Xie Shengming is a deputy
representing privately-owned enterprises for the forthcoming Ninth
National People's Congress of China.
"I will propose a motion for boosting high-tech development by
privately-owned industrial firms," said 42-year-old Xie.
After graduating from the Central China Teachers' University, Xie
set up a psychological research institute for young people and
established a magazine to provide psychological guidance for
youth.
Later, he allied himself with some other intellectuals to start a
pharmaceutical plant for making blood tonic pills, with an
investment of 500,000 yuan (US$60,240).
The plant's output value, sales volume and pre-tax profits
increased by 300 per cent over the past few years. Its assets
soared to 3.3 billion yuan (US$398 million).
In 1997, it led all other enterprises across the country in key
economic indicators and was designated as a key high-tech
enterprise by the State Science and Technology Commission.
Xie's group has made donations totalling 28 million yuan (US$3.37
million) to the needy.
As an outstanding entrepreneur, Xie became a news maker in Wuhan,
capital of Central China's Hubei Province, and was elected a
deputy to the Ninth People's Congress.
Xie regards it as an honour as well as a mission and vows to take
an active part in deliberating State affairs.
He said the 15th National Congress of the Communist Party of China
provided equal opportunity for both State-owned and private
enterprises.
In view of the fierce market competition, Xie said that the
private firms should upgrade technology, introduce the
shareholding system and seek new areas for economic growth.
(Xinhua)
_____________________________________________________________

_Date: 03/04/98_
_Author: _
_Copyright© by China Daily_

***************************************************************************

What's on (Page 10, Date: 03/04/98)
EXHIBITIONS
Joint Art Show -- A joint exhibition of paintings is being held at
the Wanfung Art Gallery.
On show are 40 pieces of oil paintings and traditional Chinese
paintings done by 12 Chinese artists from China's Hong Kong,
Taiwan, Chinese mainland and Malaysia.
Living in different places and having unique personal life
experiences, the artists have created works of wide-ranging
subjects and diverse styles.
Time: 9:30 am - 6 pm, through March 7.
Place: 136 Nanchizi Dajie, Dongcheng District, Beijing.
Tel: 6512-7338.
Lei Feng spirit -- Lei Feng, an ordinary soldier with a noble
spirit of devotion, died as a martyr for his country in 1962. In
1963, Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping wrote words of commemoration
for Lei. To commemorate the 35th anniversary of the writing of
these words, and to promote the ideal of learning from Lei Feng,
an exhibition entitled "Lei Feng's Spirit Lasts Forever" will be
held in the China Revolutionary Museum.
The exhibition will display 178 pictures and 200 objects relating
to the esteemed soldier. Twenty of the pictures and 27 of the
objects are being exhibited for the first time. The exhibition
displays Lei's ordinary, but great life in detail.
Time: 8 am-5:30 pm, till March 27
Place: East side of Tian'anmen Square, 16 East Chang'anjie,
Dongcheng District
_____________________________________________________________

_Date: 03/04/98_
_Author: _
_Copyright© by China Daily_

***************************************************************************