Grace Bonillo: Let Westerners Understand Li Bai's Romantic Feelings Li Bai | China | Westerners
In 2023, People's Daily Online UK will continue to launch special plans for the fifth to eighth seasons of "Our China Story". 22 well-known figures from the cultural, academic, and educational sectors in the UK will share their stories of their interactions with China. They may not have the same industry, but what they share is their Chinese sentiment, love for Chinese culture, and enthusiasm and persistence for cultural exchange and cooperation between the UK and China.
London, July 19th (People's Daily) - Drinking and having fun under the peach blossom tree, watching the waterfall of Mount Lu fly straight down, and admiring the Mid Autumn Festival moon together... British Welsh musician and composer Grace Bonillo stayed in Chengdu in 2011 and created the album "Immortal Poet" with the theme of the life of the famous Chinese poet Li Bai, allowing Western people to understand Li Bai's legendary life.
Attracted by oriental music that he had never heard before, Grace integrated Li Bai's poetic imagery, Welsh music with traditional Chinese instruments such as erhu, guzheng, pipa, and xiao, bridging the gap of time and culture. These popular Welsh songs still appear on his repertoire for this summer's UK tour and have been sung to this day.
In recent years, pursuing a PhD in musicology at the University of South Wales and researching music from the Kashi Mountains in northeastern India has made Grace's music creation more open and diverse. He hopes to create new music works with Chinese musicians, opening another window for Westerners to understand Chinese history and culture.
Grace Bonillo
Resonance with Chengdu in the Name of Music
Grace Bonillo is performing in Chengdu. Information photos
People's Daily Online: People call you the "Little Prince of Welsh Folk Songs". In 2011, you made your first visit to Chengdu as a resident musician, seeking inspiration for music creation. What impression has Chengdu left on you?
Grace Bonillo: In 2011, I participated in an artist residency program organized by the British Council and PRS Foundation, and worked with local musicians at the Chengdu Art Theatre for seven weeks. I had never been to China before my stay, which was a unique experience for me. I was completely shocked by Chengdu. Chengdu is a busy city, with new buildings rising from the ground and a great emphasis on the protection of historical and cultural heritage. The cuisine in Chengdu also left a deep impression on me. I have never tasted such spicy food before.
People's Daily: During your stay at the theater, you had many interactions and exchanges with local musicians in Chengdu. Please share some unforgettable moments.
Grace Bonillo: When I was in Chengdu, I had been working hard to learn Chinese, but I still couldn't speak fluently. Most local musicians didn't speak English, so music became a bridge for us to communicate. Despite language and cultural differences between us, music resonates with us emotionally and ideologically. I was exposed to many unfamiliar music, dances, and instruments in the theater. The musicians in the theater also played various instruments for me alone. I still remember the first time I heard Jiang Qian playing the guzheng on site. What moved me was her superb playing art. The music she played was pleasant and melodious, with lingering notes that immersed me in the fairyland of Chinese famous music weaving.
People's Daily: What attracts you the most about Chinese music?
Grace Bonillo: I am deeply fascinated by the sound of Chinese ethnic instruments and gradually gained an understanding of their sound effects and range. The pentatonic scale in China is very interesting. This is the first time I have come across such a scale outside of blues music. I am always amazed that Chinese music can express such beautiful melodies with five notes. What fascinates me the most about Chinese music is its lifelike onomatopoeic performance. When playing, it imitates the sounds of a scene, animals, or the natural world. For example, musicians play the hand drum to imitate a goose or a group of geese walking. Chinese music not only emphasizes melody, but also has abstraction, which has deeply inspired me.
The Imagery Reconstruction of Li Bai's Poetry
The cover of the album "Immortal Poet".
People's Daily Online: Li Bai is well-known in China, but Westerners know very little about him. Please introduce the story behind the creation of "The Immortal Poet".
Grace Bonillo: I want to use the beautiful melody of Welsh folk songs to tell the story of Li Bai's tumultuous life. He left his family for a long journey from a young age, crossed the mountains of Xiongchuan, wandered all the way, and finally passed away. Many songs on the album, such as "Midnight Wu Song," "Quiet Night Thoughts," and "Drinking Alone under the Moon," use Li Bai's poetry or imagery to describe his life journey. My song "Q&A in the Mountains" was inspired by Li Bai's poem of the same name and "Visiting the Taoist of Mount Dai but Not Encountering". I wrote, "I cross mountains and ridges, only ask for a seat from an old hermit, in this peach blossom forest, is there any seed planted by him?" Li Bai is so romantic, and his short lines have profound meaning. I think this is why he is the most famous poet in China.
I also want to draw a "voice portrait" for Chengdu. I recorded the shouts of street noodle vendors, the sounds of construction sites, and the chirping of birds in the park at different locations in Chengdu, capturing the rhythm of contemporary China. I hope to give back to Chengdu with music, because the musicians I collaborate with in China all come from here.
For this album, I collaborated with The Mavron String Quartert and composer Seb Goldfinch in the UK, as well as a Chinese British band in London, and also recorded traditional Chinese music with local musicians in Chengdu. So "The Immortal Poet" is a work jointly completed by musicians from Wales, London, and China, and is a true cross-cultural collaboration.
People's Daily: How did Western music fans react to your romantic album?
Grace Bonillo: The Immortal Poet is very popular in Wales. Because I have never heard a similar album before, the locals are very interested in it. The album also won the 2014 Welsh Language Album of the Year Award, which is a high honor in Welsh culture. I am delighted to let more Welsh people learn about Li Bai and traditional Chinese music, and to share my work in China with people around the world. The album also became the inspiration for Wyn Mason's Welsh language drama "Rhith Gan". Mason became interested in Li Bai for my album and created this modern drama about father daughter relationships. Li Bai became the spiritual mentor of his father in the drama. I also provided live music accompaniment for the performance, playing the pipa and guitar. The play won the Drama Award at the 2014 Estford Festival in Wales.
People's Daily Online: Good music doesn't require understanding the lyrics, its melody will make you empathize with it. These Welsh songs have also resonated with Chinese audiences. What feedback have fans given you?
Grace Bonillo: Chinese audiences are impressed by the fusion of Welsh folk, Welsh traditional music, and Chinese traditional music. They are very interested in learning more about my music and why I am interested in Li Bai and traditional Chinese music. After the album was released, I was invited to tour multiple cities such as Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, and Kunming, and spent a wonderful time with the Chinese musicians who co produced "Immortal Poets".
The power of music comes from sharing
Photos of Grace Bonillo's performance materials
People's Daily: How did you absorb music techniques from Eastern elements that differ from Western creative techniques and apply them to your own music creation?
Grace Bonillo: Currently, I am working on a new album of Welsh traditional music, and collaborating with Chinese musicians has brought me reflection on guitar performance, which has been influencing my creations to this day. When I play the guitar, sometimes I unconsciously imitate the sounds of Chinese instruments or the melodies of Chinese scales. I am still playing the song from "The Immortal Poet". Last week, while performing in Swansea, I played and sang a song about Li Bai leaving the White Emperor City. I hope one day I can fully perform this with the Chinese musicians who made it.
People's Daily: In recent years, you have been pursuing a doctoral degree at the University of South Wales, studying music in the Kashi Mountains in northeastern India. What is the value of learning and understanding music from different countries, and collaborating with musicians from different countries?
Grace Bonillo: Cross national collaboration among musicians is not only a process of collaborative innovation, but also an opportunity for people to explore their own culture and share it with others. I hope to deepen cultural understanding through multicultural music exchange. If international music exchange is based on mutual trust and cultural sensitivity, it is very valuable. It is much better for everyone to communicate and share with instruments than arguing at the table or meeting by force. The power of music comes from sharing, and it is also a way to gather people from different cultural backgrounds. Music is a form of communication that transcends language.
People's Daily: What new collaborations do you hope to establish with Chinese musicians in the future to promote cross-cultural exchange?
Grace Bonillo: I have never explored Chinese folk songs before. It is more down-to-earth than traditional Chinese music, and if I want to deepen my understanding of folk songs, I may need to visit more remote areas and villages. This is also the work I am currently carrying out in the northeast of India. In my opinion, there are many similarities between Northeast India and Southwest China, especially in areas like Yunnan. I am very interested in promoting communication between musicians from both regions, and I look forward to creating new works with more Welsh musicians and Chinese musicians.
