(Original title: Hong Kong Story | Lin Zixiang and Ye Kuanwen: Time is like a song and it goes and sings)
Xinhua News Agency, Hong Kong, August 14th, title: Lin Zixiang and Ye Kuanwen: Time is like a song
Xinhua News Agency reporter Lu Min
74-year-old Lin Zixiang said that he did not expect to have new fans at this age; 60-year-old Ye Kuanwen said that he thanked the show for making old Hong Kong Philharmonic songs “fresh life”.
Celebrating the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland, the music gift program “Sounds Endless Hong Kong Music Season”, through which the mainland and Hong Kong singers jointly sang the golden songs of the Hong Kong Philharmonic and used music to talk, was widely acclaimed. The program awarded the highest honor “Honorable Person” to Lin Zixiang and Ye Kuanwen, and the scene of their tears on the scene also moved the audience.
For nearly half a century, Lin Zixiang and Ye Kuanwen have witnessed the peak of Hong Kong pop music and the rise of mainland pop music. They witness the times and perform legends in their singing, and they also use their singing to connect Hong Kong and the mainland, and unite people’s hearts.
Classic HK Phil carries memories
Sitting side by side in front of the reporter, Lin Zixiang and Ye Kuanwen, one low-key and taciturn, the other elegant, the two looked at each other and smiled from time to time, still looking forward. The couple each have silver hair, which proves that time flies by.
Lin Zixiang formed a band when he was a student, released his first album in the 1970s, and held a concert at the Hung Hom Stadium in Hong Kong in 1981. He has a wide vocal range, has the reputation of “iron lung”, and has creative talents. His representative works include “Dare to Love and Dare to Do”, “Men Be Self-improvement”, and “Real Man”.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Ye Kuanwen swept the major golden song awards in Hong Kong. Her golden songs such as “Walk Away”, “Blessings”, and “Friends of Love” are popular all over the country.
In the summer of 2022, thanks to the HK Phil, Lin Zixiang and Ye Kuanwen, who have been semi-retired for many years, will return to the public eye. “This is fate.” Ye Kuanwen said.
For the first time on stage, Lin Zixiang wore a gray coat and Ye Kuanwen wore a red skirt. As soon as he opened his mouth, he knew “the return of the king”, and there was still an irresistible light in his voice.
In Lin Zixiang’s songs, heroic lyrics such as “Welcome to the sun and the moon and the wind, smile and the breeze wash my madness”, “Have a broad mind and a long vision”, and “Use my hundred points of heat to shine a thousand points of light” can be seen everywhere. With his high-pitched and powerful singing skills, he interprets Chinese style and chivalrous aesthetics in a heroic manner, full of love.
Before the show song “Flowers in the Water” was sung, a song recited in Cantonese was astonishing: “I can’t help but see Yan returning.” This is the first time that Lin Zixiang has recited classical poetry, but the effect is unexpectedly good. Applause from the audience.
“When I was a child, I loved watching martial arts movies and listening to the songs in the movies.” Lin Zixiang said, “Hong Kong popular culture and Chinese traditional culture are inseparable.”
In the Hong Kong Philharmonic’s golden song, there is the perseverance of “Under the Lion’s Mountain”, the family and country feelings of “the Great Wall will never fall”, the unrestrained bearing of “a smile in the sea”, and the perseverance of “a man should be self-improvement”… These accumulations Songs with Chinese cultural heritage build the spiritual framework of the HK Phil, become legends, and carry the collective memory of the Chinese people about the HK Phil.
Sing a song with the same frequency resonance
“Forever classic!” “Tears filled our eyes”, “Singing with life”, “This is the real Chinese culture!”… The comments of netizens on the barrage poured in like snowflakes. At the end of each live performance, the audience was moved by the chorus of golden songs such as “Broad Sea and Sky”, “Red Sun” and “Pearl of the Orient”.
“Being on the scene is an unforgettable feeling.” Lin Zixiang said that even if there was a concert in the past, only one or two singers interacted with everyone, but at the show, all the singers and all the audience sang more than one song together. Every song is touching.
On August 4, Lin Zixiang was interviewed by a reporter from Xinhua News Agency.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Lv XiaoweiIn the last performance, the audience sang “My Motherland and Me” together. With the music singing and waving, the atmosphere reached a climax. “I want to hold everyone’s hand.” Ye Kuanwen said.
“I’ve never really cried on stage. I suddenly felt that all the emotions in the past few months have to burst out of my heart, and I couldn’t help it. I was really touched. The scene felt very warm and even fiery, My whole body is hot.” Ye Kuanwen said, even Lin Zixiang, who rarely showed his feelings, couldn’t help but wipe his tears in public.
At this moment, music conveys love and connects hearts tightly.
“Music has no boundaries, and I don’t think there is any difference between the mainland and Hong Kong. The distance is so close, and we’ll be there after we cross the border. Besides, we can communicate through music.” Ye Kuanwen said, “We don’t care whether we sing Cantonese or Mandarin songs. It doesn’t matter what dialect, what matters is that the song resonates with empathy.”
After the show aired, Lin Zixiang and Ye Kuanwen had a large number of new fans, many of them young people. Fans wrote them long letters about why they liked their songs and how they were influenced and inspired by them. Lin Zixiang is convinced of the power of music: “I don’t like to talk, but thanks for the music, everything I want to say is in the song.”
Cultural exchange stimulates new energy
This is the first time the couple have participated in a four-month-long show at the same time in decades. They have seen the professionalism and dedication of performing arts production in the Mainland. “The rhythm is incredibly fast, and every episode is a new experience.” Ye Kuiwen said that mainland singers made them admire them. “Many singers are very powerful and talented.”
In the program, the new generation of singers used their imagination and creativity to inject new elements into the old songs, which not only retained the original charm, but also brought a new feeling.
The “Real Man” performed by Lin Zixiang and a new generation of singers re-arranged old songs, and the rap part also absorbed the elements of Chuanjiang Haozi, which sounded even more shocking; Teresa Teng’s classic golden song “Forget Him” added rap and harmony. Peking Opera singing has a unique charm; the Cantonese song “Student Brother”, which encourages children to study hard, is mixed with the Mandarin song “Reading Lang”, which is refreshing…
These excellent creations also inspired new energy in their music. Their re-interpretation of “Dare to Love, Dare to Do” was well received by the audience. “Everyone likes this version very much, and we are also very happy.” Ye Kuiwen said that this is to make old songs “fresh life”, “so that good songs can go further and accompany more people”.
Years are like songs, and this pair of “fairy companions” in the music world sang all the way. “Singing is our blessing. As long as there are people who want to listen to it, we will continue to sing.” Ye Kuiwen said, looking at Lin Zixiang next to him, he nodded with a smile.
Video reporters: Lu Min, Lin Ning, Xu Shumin, Liu Zhanwei, Xu Langxuan, Liang Jiajun