Lunlun Zou is a favorite performer at private parties of Hong Kong stars and world-renowned designers.
The name Alain Mikli is well known to all who follow the trends of fashion or know anything about beautiful eyewear. For many years, Mikli has been associated with stylish, attractive, and innovative designs. Paris and Hong Kong sight-impaired professionals cannot imagine life without Alain Mikli.
Alain Mikli cannot imagine a party without Lunlun Zou.
The party, a grand launch of Alain Mikli’s newest design PACT took place on 21 March in the exclusive Bel Air Pavilion in Hong Kong. The star-studded evening included Hong Kong celebrities Zhong Zhen Tao, Guan Zhi Lin, Liu Jia Ling, who made sure that excitement wouldn’t stop.
Lunlun Zou: “I choose Alain Mikli.”
Lunlun Zou and her band kept the Alain Mikli crowd in awe.
Centerpiece of entertainment was Lunlun Zou’s performance. She and her band kept Alain Mikli’s audience at awe – by masterful interpretation of Chinese traditional songs, as well as Lunlun’s own compositions.
Alain Mikli’s party was an event that’s difficult to forget, especially when it is the talk of the town, with coverage in major entertainment magazines and newspapers.
During the past weekend, Lunlun Zou has been promoting Chinese traditional music and the guzheng instrument at the 2004 Lan Kwai Fong Carnival in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong quarter Lan Kwai Fong is very famous and popular, not only among western tourists, but also among Hong Kong residents, whether they are local Chinese or immigrants from the western hemisphere. Yes, Hong Kong has very large population of immigrants from USA, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Netherlands and other countries. Lan Kwai Fong is located in the city center, has large concentration of bars and entertainment establishments. Lan Kwai Fong stands out for its modern architecture and exciting atmosphere.
Lunlun has been stationed at a booth in Lan Kwai Fong, where she has been meeting with her fans from Brazil, Hong Kong and other countries, selling her CDs, signing autographs and answering questions about guzheng.
During the evenings on Saturday and Sunday Lunlun has given recitals in the Lan Kwai Fong Amphitheatre to bewildered audience.
For the past 3 days Lunlun Zou has been performing with her fusion band Gliss at the World Trade Centre in Causeway Bay.
Lunlun’s band Gliss has received warm welcome from Hong Kong audiences. The concerts have been covered daily by local newspapers. Chinese television station Phoenix will broadcast the concert on 22 October 2004 at 19:00 o’clock, and on 23 October at 23:00 o’clock. (Phoenix TV is available in China, Hong Kong and through satellite coverage in 56 countries.)
Three more concerts at the WTC are scheduled for the weekend of 22 October 2004.
Enjoy viewing these short music videos recorded during this performance:
From 23 till 25 August 2004, city Yangzhou was the host of the 5th International Guzheng Conference (photos). Attendees included honorable guzheng masters, teachers, students, guzheng manufacturers, press, and Yangzhou city officials.
Lunlun Zou with Xu Zhen Gao
Lunlun Zou was also present, as this was a very important event of the guzheng world and an opportunity to meet face to face with friends and colleagues, exchange ideas, share experiences and opinions. Equally inspiring was to meet with guzheng manufacturers from Yangzhou, Shanghai and other parts of China, see and touch their latest products and talk about the intricacies of guzheng manufacturing.
Lunlun Zou was exhilarated to meet with Master Xu Zhen Gao who is often refered to as the father of guzheng.
Lunlun Zou addresses the conference
Lunlun took the opportunity and toured the Yayun Guzheng Ltd. and the Feitian Ltd. factories of Yangzhou, where many of today’s guzheng instruments are manufactured. She shared with them her opinion about the state of the market, customer needs and gave ideas about possible improvements. Because of her unusual playing style, Lunlun has much stricter requirements for guzheng than most other musicians. The director of Yayun Ltd., Mr. Liu, was thankful to Lunlun for providing valuable insight.
Echos of the Cultural Revolution
It may seem, that news has difficulty to travel into remote areas of China. Perhaps some people weren’t told that the Cultural Revolution has ended, perhaps it’s impossible to undo the damage to brainwashed minds.
It felt eerie, as if someone has wound the clock 40 years back into time China cannot be proud of. In fact, what happened was only a proof that destructive effects of the Cultural Revolution live on.
During the guzheng playing demonstrations on the first day of the Conference, the ninth participant came to the stage and introduced himself humbly with tremulous voice and frightened expression in his face: “My name is Gao Baijian. I am from Nanhai county of Guangdong Province. I am nobody. I am not an expert in playing guzheng. I am only an amateur and I haven’t received any professional training. However, last year I had a sudden inspiration to compose a song ‘Homesick’. Today I will demonstrate my incompetence before you. Every expert, scholar, professor, classmate and comrade, please criticize me!” Then he deeply bowed and with tremulous hands proceeded playing .
Extraordinary Performance
Lunlun Zou with Mr. Liu, the director of Yayun Ltd.
In the guzheng playing sessions of the conference, many scholars and experts demonstrated their skills and shared anything they thought worthwhile and interesting.
On 23 August, Ms. Su Xiuxiang from Taiwan and her students had shown four-hand playing (face-to-face on a single guzheng). Although their performance “Lake Music” wasn’t without fault, they demonstrated a valid approach, especially useful when there is a shortage of instruments.
Many speakers presented their papers during lectures. Some scholars believe that the teaching and playing of guzheng should not remain stagnant, but rather evolve naturally. The extraordinary performance by Lunlun Zou was a good demonstration of highly evolved playing style. On 25 August Lunlun Zou stood in front of the audience and played only to be frequently applauded. Many people were moved and commented: “It is very exciting to see Master Zou’s show. This is the most beautiful, and touching performance we have seen in a long time.”
Free Guzheng Lesson
Lunlun’s performance at the Conference on 25 August also made a tremendous impression on 9-year old guzheng student Panting from Baoying near Yangzhou. Panting has decided she must meet with Lunlun Zou in person. She has started searching the exhibition rooms at the conference, all nearby restaurants and hotels. Finally, 4 hours later, she discovered Lunlun having tea in the lobby of the New World hotel. Panting approached Lunlun and asked her for a short lesson. Lunlun agreed and spent over an hour with Panting . At the end of the lesson Lunlun Zou agreed to become Panting’s long distance teacher and give her free lessons over the Internet.
