"When I was little I heard the story of Xiang Yu (king of the Western Chu). Although he lost the battle with Liu Bang, he was still a hero. He was very Shakespearean, in fact very similar to Julius Caesar. I especially liked his spirit of never giving up and not being willing to surrender unto death. I think music can convey emotions, and the process of sensing the emotions pleases me."

The pipa is highly inspirational, and she is always keen to learn more with it, she said. "I'm proud of my Chinese background and I really appreciate the opportunity of learning the pipa, which makes me special."

Song Fei, a renowned erhu player who is one of the judges of the erhu competition of the Dunhuang Cup, said the competition has expanded into Japan and Singapore, drawing more and more overseas competitors.

"China has a rich musical heritage, and many of its traditional instruments are now learned by young Chinese music lovers. There are musicians who are keeping the musical tradition alive, arranging and performing original pieces as well as trying to find new sounds for the traditional Chinese musical instruments with crossover collaborations."

chennan@chinadaily.com.cn