Listening to Kulangsu (Ting Gulangyu 听鼓浪屿)
My first introduction to Kulangsu was “Gulangyu Zhi Bo,” played by Jing. I had heard it at least fifty times before I ever saw Kulangsu, and before I even knew this was originally a song with words. It was my favorite song on Jing’s CD, which I played obsessively in my car when she was […]
Pianist Yin Chengzong’s house (Yin Cheng Zong Zhai 殷承宗宅)
Kulangsu’s most famous pianist, Yin Chengzong, still owns and periodically visits this hilltop house. It is one of the island’s most beautiful private homes, now inhabited by the pianist’s brother, Yin Chengdian, who is a first-rate musician in his own right and the former dean of the Xiamen Music School. In 1924, Yin’s father bought the […]
Jing Yang, “Daughter of Kulangsu”
The world-renowned violist and violinist Jing Yang is the newest star in a constellation of globally famous classical musicians from Kulangsu. It is here on our idyllic island that Jing first began to shape her trademark style. She graduated from the Xiamen Music School and joined the Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra at age 15. At the […]
Gulangyu Piano Museum (Gulangyu Gang Qin Bo Wu Guan 鼓浪屿钢琴博物馆)
One of the top tourist attractions of Kulangsu Island is the world’s largest and most impressive collection of pianos, all of which reside in a sprawling series of red-roofed houses that pay heritage to the island’s European-Chinese fusion classical music tradition. When you think about the difficulty of transporting so many grand pianos from all […]
Gulangyu Concert Hall (Gu Lang Yu Yin Yue Ting 鼓浪屿音乐厅)
The premier classical music hall on Kulangsu, China’s premier classical music island, the Gulangyu Concert Hall is proof that the best things in life are free. The diverse classical and traditional Chinese concerts held here on many nights of the week—from visiting symphony orchestras to traditional Chinese music to world-class visiting soloists—are all offered to […]