Pop queen Faye Wong made a graceful comeback at the 2010 CCTV Spring Festival Gala, belting out the poetic number "Legend". The song was composed by Li Jian, a musical talent who graduated from Tsinghua University, normally looked at as the home of future scientists of China.

 

In The List today, we look at Li Jian, to find out how he has achieved this success, rather than in the field of science.

"Legend" was composed by Li Jian eight years ago, and features on his record "Evanescence of Life". Although the CD didn't have much impact a few years back, this time around the song soon topped various radio stations and net portal charts, thanks to Faye Wong's flowing rendition at the CCTV gala.

Li Jian was born in Harbin, Northeast China. His father, a Peking Opera artist, had expected his son to follow in his footsteps. But to his dismay, Li Jian soon reached the height of 1.8 meters as an adolescent, too tall for the opera performances.

Li later said that it was an ordinary guitar that changed his life for good.

A movie called "A Team of Guitarists on the Street" swept across China in the early 1980s. Li Jian was crazy about the film and soon fell in love with the instrument. Li's mother bought her son a brand new guitar that cost her two months worth of savings at a time when Chinese people only earned around forty to fifty yuan a month.

A self-taught guitarist, Li Jian practiced a lot and showed great enthusiasm for pop songs. An opportunity came when Tsinghua University was planning to recruit students with musical talent. As Li had won top prize in the National Middle School Students Singing Competition, he was enrolled by the university as a major in electronic engineering.

So-called campus ballads were in vogue in the early 1990s China when Li Jian entered Tsinghua. His guitar skill was soon recognized by his peers and he was invited to join nine college bands as their guitarist.

During his four years at Tsinghua, Li came across senior Lu Gengxu. They shared the same musical aspirations and established the pop duo "Shuimu Nianhua" in March 2001, beginning their exploration of the world of music.

In September 2001, the pair released their debut album "Having You in My Life All Along", which catapulted them to stardom almost overnight. They won a cult following for their innocent voices and unvarnished style.

Unfortunately the two split due to differences in 2002 and went on to pursue solo careers.

During the year after he left Lu Gengxu, Li spent a lot of time reading at home, watching movies and listening to classical music.

In August 2003 Li Jian was back on track with his debut album "Evanescence of Life". All the numbers were composed and arranged by Li himself. Following the success Li released his second album "Coming for You" in January 2005. Li said the CD was inspired by warm sunshine in a chilly winter.

Two years later Li recorded his third album "Missing You". The ballad singer's poetic lyrics left music fans nostalgic for their innocent campus days.

This is what Li Jian is - true to his own feelings towards life and writing his own music that never pretends to cater to the tastes of others. In the world of miscellaneous music, Li Jian stands out for his sensitive musicality and his perseverance that helps him reach where he wants to be.