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Song soothes sorrow

Both the lyricist and the composer of Be Together, Alive or Not (Shengsi Buli) have donated the song to the Chinese Red Cross Foundation as a theme song for the relief work of the Wenchuan earthquake.

Written by Wang Pingjiu and composed by Shu Nan after the May 12 earthquake, Be Together, Alive or Not has been widely heard across China. There have been three versions of the song, which have been sung by Jackie Chan, Sun Nan and Tan Jing.

Sun said the lyrics and music of the song affected him deeply.

"I knew that no singing technique was necessary. Everything is there (in the song)," he said.

The National Museum of China has collected a manuscript of Wang's lyrics.

Auctions with heart

A number of leading auction houses will hold charity auctions in Beijing this week to raise funds for relief efforts in quake-hit Sichuan province.

China Guardian Auctions will auction more than 200 contemporary works of oil painting, sculpture, photography and installation from some 150 artists at the Kerry Centre Hotel today.

The last item to be auctioned off tonight is an oil painting created by 30 veteran artists including Ai Xuan, Yang Feiyun and Wang Yidong, to depict the nation's concerted efforts to battle the quake.

From tomorrow till Saturday, Beijing Poly Auctions will hold two charity sales of artwork at Kunlun Hotel. The works on sale are donated by about 50 artists, to raise money for quake-hit cities in Sichuan.

Study on peak power

Volunteers from non-governmental education and environmental protection group "Mount Qomolangma Action at the Third Pole of the Earth", started a feasibility study on the use of alternative energy in the villages of Mount Qomolangma last Wednesday. The two-week study aims to look at the number of days that solar and wind energy can be used at these villages.

The Science and Technology Commission of the Tibet autonomous region said that villages at the foot and on the slopes of Mount Qomolangma have given up using logged wood as the major source of energy, to protect the environment. However, as solar energy use is still far from prevalent and wind energy use is not considered stable, these villages are in need of a more reliable energy supply, researchers said.

The group is also building an Internet education system at a primary school in the mountain area.

Yangqin player impresses

Hong Kong yangqin (dulcimer) player Lai Yingbin gave a concert to mark his graduation from the Central Conservatory of Music at the Beijing Concert Hall, on Sunday evening.

He played six pieces of traditional and contemporary yangqin music, including Tan Dun's Poem in Two Parts.

Lai learned the yangqin when he was young and has won first place in the yangqin category at the Hong Kong College Music Festival for the past three years.

In 2001, Lai went to the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing to further his study with yangqin maestro Liu Yuening.

"He is the first Hong Kong student to earn a master's degree in yangqin. He enjoys playing the yangqin and has a good interpretation of many of the traditional pieces on the ancient instrument," Liu said.

Recording the quake

The Foreign Languages Press has released a publication, Wenchuan Earthquake Unites Hearts in China.

The publication records moving and inspiring moments of the May 12 earthquake in Sichuan province, and illustrates the deep grief and perseverance of the nation.

Images and text show the indelible impact of the disaster, including the moment the quake hit, the prompt reaction of the Chinese government and people, the selfless work of rescuers, and the outpouring of aid from 1.3-billion Chinese nationwide and the international community.

The publication is available in Chinese and English versions. Proceeds from its sale will go toward relief efforts in quake-afflicted areas.

China Daily

(China Daily 05/27/2008 page18)