New sounds for ancient instrument

Photo provided to China Daily

With a pair of round glasses and prayer beads around his neck, Feng, who is a Buddhist, is considered a "ruan addict". He sometimes waves his hands in air, as if he were playing an invisible ruan, without even knowing he is doing it.

For years, he has been striving to compose new works and experiment with the ruan, such as borrowing techniques from other plucked-string instruments, like guitar, sitar and dombra. He also visited luthiers to invent new type of ruan, which cost a lot of money.

Along with jazz pianist Kong Hongwei, founder member Chinese jazz band Golden Buddha, bass ruan player Chen Xiaohu and percussionist Shao Haha, Feng will perform in Beijing to display his works－of which he is particularly proud－including Sky High Clouds Light, 28 Years and Ji.

"Forget about the melancholy, conventional traditional Chinese music you've heard before. I have the modern traditional Chinese music for you," he says confidently.

He started learning yueqin, a traditional Chinese stringed instrument, which belongs to the same family of ruan, at 6 years old with his father, Feng Shaoxian, an accomplished performer of yueqin. Feng considers his dad "a major influence and inspiration in my life and work".