Zhang Yadongs musical Journey

After five long years of preparation, composer Zhang Yadong held a variety concert on December 20th at the Olympic Sports Center Stadium in Beijing. More than ten famous singers from across China were invited to interpret 30 pieces written by Zhang Yadong. On today's list, we'll review Zhang's music career.

ComposerZhangYadong (File photo)

For Zhang Yadong, the acoustics are one of the keys to presenting the perfect concert. Familiar tunes are interpreted by famous singers from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The man behind all these melodies didn't appear until the end of the concert. Zhang rarely speaks much in public, and merely said that he was dedicating the next song to his grandfather. His song "Slow Flow" brought the concert to a perfect end.

The performance was not only a review of Zhang's decade-long career in music, but also helped promote his new album, which will be released next month. It's been ten years since Zhang published his first album in 1998.

Not many people know the name Zhang Yadong, since he often shuns the limelight. But his songs are much-loved across the Chinese-speaking world. Zhang is behind many of Faye Wong's classic songs, from "Impatience" and "Bored", to "If You are Happy I'll be Happy" and "Only Love Strangers".

That last track was originally sung by Zhang on his eponymous debut album. The friendship and partnership between Zhang and Wong can be traced back to their shared love of British band the Cocteau Twins.

ComposerZhangYadong(Filephoto)

Zhang's mother is an actress of Jinju or Shanxi opera, one of China's traditional operas. Zhang started learning the cello at 8 and began composing at 13. Even today,Zhang still loves the music of the 60s and 70s. He's particularly fond of the recording styles of the era and the nature of its sound. Zhang also collects ancient musical instruments. All these have helped Zhang to create his own music style today.