Birthdate: November 16, 1945

Birthplace: Sichuan, China

Occupation: erhu player, concertmaster

Was being a musician your childhood dream?

No, I never thought of becoming a professional musician when I was small. At that time, I actually wanted to be a circus acrobat.

This is something children always like and I thought it was very funny. But, of course, fortunately I didn't actually fulfil this dream.

How is the relationship between you and your brothers and sisters?

We are very close. We always played together when we were small.

Now, although some of them live overseas while others remain in China, we still maintain very good relations.

I must express special gratitude to my eldest brother because he was the first person who taught me to play the erhu.

What is your impression of Beijing?

Beijing is a very lovely city. I regard it as my third home town because I stayed there for 18 years.

Sichuan is my real home as I was born and bred there. And Hong Kong is my second because I have lived here for more than 20 years and it is my career base.

Why did you move from Beijing to Hong Kong?

My wife is Indonesian Chinese. Many of her relatives had already left the country earlier, so my parents-in-law also urged us to emigrate. Since Hong Kong was still a colony at that time, we decided to come here.

Do you find your work satisfying?

As an artist, I want to present the best I can to the audience. Like many other musicians, I believe that 'practise makes perfect'. So, I practise hard every day. This is the part the audience doesn't know about. When I come on stage, I hope that I can show the skill that I get from practise.

Although the performance may not be perfect, I do always try my best to please the audience.

Did you intend to teach your son to be an erhu player?

No, I did not. In the beginning, he learned to play the piano from his mother when he was three. Later, when he was about five, he became interested in the erhu. Therefore, I bought a small-size erhu which was tailor-made for him. But he soon got tired of the small one and asked for a standard-size one.

Since then, I have often played the erhu with him. Honestly, I think he is more talented than I am.

Did playing the erhu make your relationship with Sunny closer?

Actually, communicating with children takes up a lot of time. However, when Sunny was small, I was at the peak of my career. Therefore, I did not spend much time with him, which was really a great pity to me.

But anyway, now, playing the erhu is our common interest and career.

What do you think about the attitudes of Hong Kong people towards traditional Chinese music?

Frankly, there are not many people who really pay attention to traditional music, especially the young ones.

But I think it is understandable because Hong Kong had been a British colony for so long that it was deeply influenced by Western culture.

Some of the people even despise their own traditional culture but praise Western culture.

Does the Government provide sufficient support for traditional Chinese music in Hong Kong?

On one hand, I think the Government provides sufficient support to the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra (HKCO) so that we can hold many activities. In fact, the HKCO became corporate and independent years ago to enable it to be run more flexibly and efficiently.

I do not think the Government does enough to promote traditional Chinese music to the general public. I think Hong Kong should put more effort into promoting its own traditional culture. In this aspect, Hong Kong still lags behind other places such as New York and Japan.

So, is it difficult to promote the arts in a commercially oriented city such as Hong Kong?

It's not necessarily difficult. On the contrary, a commercial city with a sound economic base can provide more financial support to arts development. But in poorer cities, the governments may not have time and money to think about the arts.

And usually a developed city will spend more on creating a good self-image and so therefore the government realises the significance of enhancing its cultural standards.

What do you think about today's popular music?

Popular music has its own merits and it is more easily accepted by the people.

I think popular music and classical music should learn from each other. Then popular music can raise its artistic standards while classical music can increase its popularity.

What is your dream now?

I hope to produce a better CD and I hope to travel around the world.

In the past, I was always busy with my career. Now, I would like to spend more time enjoying life.

As a recipient of the Outstanding Young Person award, what do you think makes a young person outstanding?

Outstanding achievements, and acting as a role model.

Lilian was a summer intern from The Chinese University of Hong Kong.