Yang Xuefei's first encounter with Brazilian music was at the age of 12, when she began to play classical guitar. She heard Sound of the Bells, by composer Joao Pernambuco, at a Beijing show. The performers had left the score, so Yang was able to play it with her classmates later.

"I was struck by the fun and lively piece," Yang, 39, tells China Daily.

Almost 30 years later, Yang played the piece again in her latest album, Colors of Brazil, which was released earlier this month.