Music in the Chinese Garden
A different solo musician performs each week, playing unamplified melodies on classical instruments including the dizi 笛子, pipa 琵琶, and erhu 二胡. Let the music transport you to another time and place as you stroll through one of the most magical landscapes in Southern California.
Generous support for this music series is provided by the Justin Vajna Memorial Fund for Educational Programs in the Chinese Garden.
Rene Ren-jian Wu 吴人健 on Erhu 二胡. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.
Meiye Ma 馬梅椰 on Pipa琵琶. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.
Teh-Shu Yang 楊德書 plays Dizi笛子 in the Chinese Garden. | The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.
About the Performers
Rene Ren-jian Wu 吴人健 came from a musical family and learned the erhu at a young age. After graduating from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, Wu became the principal erhu player for the Beijing Dance Academy Orchestra. Since coming to the U.S. in 1980, Wu has performed at many venues including museums, universities, community festivals, and the Hollywood Bowl.
Meiye Ma 馬梅椰 was born in Shanghai and began studying pipa at the age of 10 to pursue her interest in Suzhou pingtan 蘇州評弹, a musical storytelling tradition. After studying pipa at the Shanghai Conservatory, she became the principal soloist for the Shanghai Film Orchestra. She continues to perform and teach in Los Angeles.
Teh-Shu Yang 楊德書 fell in love with the sound of the dizi as a teenager growing up in Taiwan. After hearing the instrument played by a neighbor, he was inspired to learn it. He has enjoyed performing the dizi for more than 50 years.
About the Instruments
Erhu 二胡 is a two-stringed spike fiddle that is held vertically and bowed. A very popular instrument in China, the erhu probably was introduced from Central Asia around the 10th century. The erhu is played solo, in small ensembles, in opera troupes, and in orchestras.
Pipa琵琶 is a four-stringed plucked instrument with a pear-shaped body similar to a lute. It appeared in China as early as the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE), although it is believed to have Central Asian origins. The pipa was particularly popular during the Tang dynasty (618–907), a period of dynamic cultural exchange when many Persians lived in the cosmopolitan Chinese capital of Chang’an (modern-day Xi’an).
Dizi笛子 is a transverse (horizontal) flute, usually made of bamboo. Unlike other flutes, it has an additional hole covered with a thin bamboo membrane that creates a distinctive resonant tone. This simple flute was used as early as the Neolithic period and appears in legends associated with the Yellow Emperor, one of the mythological founders of China.
