In traditional loose sleeved Chinese costume and a hairstyle straight from ancient China, a slim female singer stepped onto the stage, singing a wistful song called Li. "Li is respect, Li is elegance, Li is purity, Li is tranquility; Li comes from a smile, Li comes from love, Li comes from the heart," she sings, accompanied by a melody of haunting court music. The singer is appearing on CCTV, China's National TV station, in a music program aired during the 2008 Olympic Games.

The song was specially composed for the Beijing Olympics and is among top 30 songs selected from global entries. It's subsequent popularity is based on the concept of Li being an important part of traditional Chinese philosophy. It was a system of institutions, social conventions and ethic standards in ancient China and the core of Confucian teachings, often mentioned in his classical work The Analects of Confucius.

Post-classical music

The singer of the song is Ha Hui, 30, from an art troupe of the Chinese Air Force. Besides singing, she also helped write the lyrics. The song is part of a post-classical music road Ha is taking to further her career.

Chinese classical music normally refers to the ancient Chinese court music, or ceremonial music, which started in the early period of the West Zhou Dynasty (1046-771 B.C.). But Ha hopes to develop a new music style based on this cultural heritage.

"Before this song, I spent two years immersing myself in the Chinese classics," said Ha. According to her, when working on the lyrics of the song, she transformed her understanding of Li into simple and modern language.

"After studying traditional classics, I gradually found that the long and rich culture of China is a great spiritual treasure for us to absorb and I finally realized what I really want to sing about," said Ha.

She said she is a quiet person and is not used to the competitive side of fame and the pressures of the entertainment industry.

But how does she define post-classical music? She said it is the combination of classic and modern, with post-modern elements thrown in. The essence of post-classical music should come from the roots of the original music, but that does not mean mere imitation.

"Let's put it in this way," Ha said, "I want to make modern music that contains the feeling of ancient elegance and allows people to use their imagination."

New innovative album

After Li, she completed an album in post-classical music style, planned for release early next year. The lyrics of the 11 songs on the album are all chosen by Ha from China's classic poems or other literary works, including Shi Jing, or The Book of Songs, China's oldest poetry collection that is said to be compiled by Confucius.

The music of the album is composed by Lin Hai, a gifted musician in China, who is well-known for his capability in blending West and East, traditional and modern music elements. Ha admires the artistic talent of Lin. She was especially impressed by one of Lin's recent albums of pipa, (lute) music.

"He perfectly combines the traditional Chinese instrument pipa and the modern style, and the effect is amazing," said Ha.

The sample of the new album of Ha has impressed all that have listened to it by its unique mergence between the ancient and the modern and between the Chinese and the West.

Crying Ospreys is the lead song of the album. It is a poem from Shi Jing. The composer uses a five-beat rhythm and employs various Chinese and foreign instruments, making the centuries-old poem sound more modern and listenable.