Early this year, Switzerland-based cellist Zhu Yibing wrote a letter to Wang Cizhao, president of the China Central Conservatory of Music. The letter followed a long telephone conversation between Basel and Beijing.
"It's an interesting time. China is becoming an economically powerful country in the world. In a Westerner's mind, China is no longer a far-away and mysterious country but an important part of the global village and remarkably influences their daily life.
"They see so many students from China and use so many products made in China. Obviously, China has become a destination that most foreigners are looking forward to visit.
As a Chinese, I feel proud of this."
Soon after that, Zhu flew back to Beijing where he was born in 1966 and became member of the faculty of the Central Conservatory of Music, where his parents have worked for lifetime.
This economic-booming country not only attracts business people back to develop careers but also those from diversified fields such as Zhu, an established musician.
"I would like to return to the place where I started my career some 30 years ago and I hope to share what I have learned abroad with the students here," said Zhu, who has gradually adapted to life and work in the Central Conservatory in last couple of months. He has started new teaching programs he learned in Europe.
In August, he and other faculty members invited some world top musicians to hold a Summer Masters' Class series for the students at the Conservatory.
Tomorrow, he will give a concert at the Concert Hall at the Conservatory. Some 20 faculty members including well-known violist Xu Weiling, Liang Danan, viola player He Rong and pianist Du Taihang will join the concert.
Zhu and Du will play Debussy and Schumann and give the China debut of Richard Strauss' "Metamorphosen for 23 solo strings."
"The main point is to showcase the quality of our faculty," said Zhu.
"Then we 23 string professors will play 'Metamorphosen' which Strauss composed after World War II to reflect the sadness of that time. It is one of Strauss' last major works but has never been performed in China."
Born to a cello professor father and a piano teacher mother, Zhu displayed his talent when he was young and started to learn cello from his father at 8.
He was admitted to the Secondary School attached to the Central Conservatory of Music at 13 and then went abroad to the Conservatoire de Paris in 1983 to learn with the renowned French cellist Maurice Gendron (1920-90).
In 1986, then 20-year-old Zhu won the fourth prize and the special award of the jury at the 42nd Geneva Cello Competition. He became the first Chinese cellist to win an award at an international cello competition.
Two years later, Zhu passed four rounds of audition to join the Basel Symphony Orchestra as the first cello. He spent 15 years with the orchestra, touring around the world.
Meanwhile Zhu has played as the first cello with the acclaimed Bavaria Radio Symphony Orchestra since 1999.
Aside from cello, Zhu also learned contemporary music composition at the Conservatoire de Paris and conducting at the Basel Conservatory to broaden his vision of music.
(China Daily October 21, 2004)
