大象传媒

The sights and sounds of China's performing arts are instantly recognisable; they conjure up a unique and unmistakable artistic world. In this six-part series, we see how China's performers are finding new ways of synthesising China's artistic heritage with fresh global influences. In this second episode, presenters Jeff Crosby and Li Tong meet some of China's remarkable instrumentalists who are fusing East and West, ancient and modern, to create sounds that speak to contemporary China. We start with the work of ruan virtuoso, Feng Mantian, who uses the musical traditions of the past to help modern China find inner peace and self-reflection. Su Chang, a champion of the historic guzheng, shows Li Tong how the instrument holds its own as a solo instrument with a symphony orchestra. And we discover how the century-old Bianzhong bells are enthusing a new generation of Chinese musicians in Wuhan, and finally we meet the bamboo flute superstar, Ding Xiaokui, who is breathing new life into this most quintessential of all Chinese instruments.