Music and culture program featuring Su Shi's poem makes global debut

A music and culture program featuring a fusion of Chinese traditional poetry, pop music, Peking Opera, and Cantonese elements, launched by Chengdu Radio and Television Station, made its global debut on June 8, attracting a great deal of attention.

Alan Tam, a renowned musician from Hong Kong, sings the famous Song Dynasty (960-1279) poet Su Shi's poem in Cantonese during a music and culture program aired by Chengdu Radio and Television Station. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The program was recorded at the Ancestral Temple of the Three Sus in Meishan, Sichuan province, which was home to literary giant Su Shi (1037-1101), his father Su Xun, and his younger brother Su Zhe.

In the program, renowned Hong Kong crooner Alan Tam sang the poem Ding Feng Bo (meaning Calming the Waves) by famous Song Dynasty (960-1279) poet Su Shi in Cantonese, while Liu Lu, director of the Chengdu Peking Opera Research Institute and winner of the Plum Blossom Award, the highest award for Chinese drama performing arts, was invited to perform Tam's classic work, Flower in Water.

Through the collision and integration of Chinese traditional culture and contemporary pop culture, the program presents an innovative and refreshing experience for the audience.

Alan Tam, a famous musician from Hong Kong, visits the Ancestral Temple of the Three Sus in Meishan, Sichuan province, during a music and culture program by Chengdu Radio and Television Station. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Cai Shangwei, director of the Culture Industry Research Center at Sichuan University, said there are many innovative aspects to the program.

"It has creatively transformed and innovatively developed traditional culture, giving it a fashionable charm. This is of enlightening significance for the dissemination of traditional culture," he said.

Zhou Yukai, president of the China Su Shi Research Association, said it is an innovative expression to sing the poem Ding Feng Bo in Cantonese.

"Cantonese retains some of the pronunciations from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and Song Dynasty, so it can be regarded as innovative, and also a return to tradition," he said.

Yuan Tingdong, an expert on Sichuan history and culture, said Su Shi's poetry and his legendary life experiences were skillfully integrated into the program, which can help the audience better understand the poet's positive energy and mindset.

"Whenever I face difficulties in life, his poem Ding Feng Bo will always inspire me. This is the most important reason why we love and commemorate him," Yuan said.

(China Daily)