A sublime blend of old school and new world music

Traditional Chinese folk music, like many other ancient art forms in China, is struggling to survive in the face of a fading fan base.

Zhang Yitao, an erhu player who started learning the two-stringed traditional Chinese music instrument when he was 4 years old, is not oblivious to this fact.

However, instead of lamenting about the situation, the 30-year-old, who graduated with a master's degree from the China Conservatory of Music last year, has been pushing the boundaries of traditional Chinese folk music and reaching out to audiences, especially the younger generation, with solid performances.

In August 2016, Zhang and his fellow alumni from the China Conservatory of Music formed a band called Caozi Music Club. The members include pipa player Li Jia, guzheng player Wang Shuai, traditional Chinese wind musical instruments player Fu Zhangran, percussionist Li Shang and composer Hu Xiaoyang.

On Sept 2, the band made their stage debut at Shanghai's Modernsky Lab, a popular indie live music venue by Beijing-based indie music label Modern Sky. The band, which has created 12 original music pieces, is set to perform at the Tianqiao Performing Arts Center in Beijing on Dec 15 joined by a four-member electronic band.

"In a society where people are now less exposed to traditional Chinese folk music, we want to offer a gateway into the genre as well as a breath of fresh air," says Zhang, who was born in the Xiangxi Tujia and Miao autonomous prefecture in Hunan province where he learned to play the erhu from his father and grandfather.

Zhang adds that the name of the band refers to wild grass, or cao in Chinese.

"Like the wild and vibrant grass, we want our music to be enjoyed everywhere," Zhang says.

Their music has roots in China's past, but their visions revolve around taking Chinese music into the future. Their instruments are centuries-old while the style of music they play is modern, pushing the instrument's possibilities from traditional music into the realms of pop and electronic music.

Zhang, who started composing music in middle school, from 2017 to 2018 he released 15 original music works which were featured in China Central Television's music program. Among his original materials is a piece titled Valley that was inspired by his hometown folk songs. He also portrays a tragic romantic story in Blue Romance.

"We always try something new with our instruments, but we also try to keep the tradition alive at the same time," says pipa player Li Jia, who is teaching at the China Conservatory of Music as the first pipa player with a doctorate from the school.

Born in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, Li, started learning how to play the four-stringed Chinese lute when she was 6 years old. She enrolled in the China Conservatory of Music in 1999.

Li, who is currently the director of Caozi Music Club, was part of the world premiere of Iris devoilee by Chinese-French composer Chen Qigang at the Presences Festival of Radio France in February 2002. She also played a role in the movie soundtracks for Chinese director Zhang Yimou's 2011 film The Flowers of War.

Two years ago, Li collaborated with Zhang Yitao for the first time when they played his original song, Winter Sun, which portrays the winter scenery in Beijing.

"The boundaries of classical folk styles have been pushed by many young artists, who add in new instruments. The lines among different music genres have been blurred too," Li says.

"The music of our band, which mixes Chinese tradition with pop, provides yet another example of music's ability to innovate to win greater levels of appreciation."