A Chinese girl's road to fulfilling her cello dream

ON THE WAY

Linda has graduated now and has become a teacher in King's College. She has played in concerts, and even launched her CD with pianist Ian Brown last month.

Her idol is Yo-yo Ma, the French-Chinese-American cellist. "I met him once at the master class in Manchester," she said, recalling his humor and charisma.

"He was modest as well. While talking about music, he would relate it to a painting or a country, which greatly inspired me."

To Linda, music was not like physics or mathematics. "It was something quite personal," she said. "It was part of you, with your understanding of life."

As a result, she would constantly broaden her horizon by studying philosophy and traveling. She loved going to galleries to see paintings, because "all forms of art are interlinked".

"For instance, the French impressionist works were just like the music from Debussy, rich in colors and full of passion."

But a place she always wanted to go was China. "Even though I spent a bit part of my life abroad in Australia and Britain, my roots will never change," she said.

"Being Chinese is an important part of my musicianship," Linda added. "It shapes how I interpret and play music." Besides, "Asians have exceptional memory and determination. This also shows in my music."

She likes to compose and transcribe Chinese folk music for solo cello, because it makes her feel "close to home, to my country where I was born".

"I play such music all over Britain, Europe and Australia, to promote Chinese music and to share my love for China with everyone worldwide," she said.

"More importantly, I would like to bridge the gap between east and west by playing Chinese music on a Western instrument. To bring people together, for there is no boundary or language barrier in music."

Linda's message to Chinese parents is to give their children the opportunity to learn how to read music and to play an instrument. "This would help children to be creative and artistic, which will come handy later on in life."

As for those who have embarked on the path of learning music, she says "never give up, and always believe in yourself."