Musician combines sanxian with electronic music

Wang Yu has released a new music piece which combines sanxian, a traditional three-stringed Chinese musical instrument, with electronic music.

Titled Sanxian — The Sound of China, the piece was composed by Wang, 34, who learned to play the instrument as a child.

He was born into a family of musicians in Beijing. Wang was introduced to sanxian and learned to play the instrument with his grandfather, a veteran sanxian player.

The new music piece displays the versatility of the instrument. Wang adapted diverse music elements such as traditional Chinese folk songs of ethnic groups, Peking Opera, and pingtan (an ancient Chinese art form of singing and storytelling originating from Suzhou, Jiangsu province).

He worked with electronic musician Wei Huhu, giving the old musical instrument a contemporary twist.

Wang graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music and since 2009 has been working with China Broadcasting Performance Arts Troupe.