Reaching across to the other side of light

The 1,000-plus Beijing crowd saw their guitar-wielding hero and let loose a roar of applause.

The godfather of Chinese rock was wearing his trademark white baseball cap emblazoned with a red star. Like always, Cui Jian's cap was pulled down low over his face.

"The other side of light is darkness, as well as the endless power," Cui shouted. It was a phrase he would repeat throughout the night calling his fans to action.

They heeded his call helping raise more than 400,000 yuan ($57,600) at Beyond the Day-Radio Aid concert at Beijing's StarLive on Thursday.

Although Cui maybe called the heart and soul of Chinese rock, Xu Wei, Zheng Jun, Wang Feng, Ai Jing, Lao Lang, and Zi Yue band are also its backbone, and they joined the legendary rocker on the Beijing stage.

"We are here to sing for the people who are suffering in Sichuan, who have lost their houses, their families and even their lives," Cui said.

As he spoke, pictures of the quake-hit cities were projected on a big screen behind the StarLive stage.

"This rock'n'roll concert is heaven. Facing those cruel and sad pictures and helpless faces, we feel our heart bleeding," Cui said.

"Let's accumulate our power to pull them through."

Once a trumpeter with the Beijing Symphony Orchestra, Cui turned to rock'n'roll in the early 80s. For the past 25 years he has rocked China and toured the world.

Wearing his typical low-key jeans and a black T-shirt, Cui and his six-member band mixed old songs with new ones, and the 47-year-old singer frequently broke into rap.

A new song stood out from his classic repertoire. The Other Side of Light is dedicated to the victims of the earthquake and Cui performed it wearing a blindfold.

"This song is for people who are in the dark. I hope this is the first and the last time I sing the song. No more darkness," he said, as fans cheered again.

Over and over again, during Thursday night's sold-out concert, he dropped to his knees to emphasize the point of the concert.

Ai Jing, famed female folk singer and songwriter, specially returned to Beijing from Hong Kong to play at the charity concert.

Her soft and sensual You Are My Angel cast a spell of tranquility over the crowd, taking the audience back in time to a decade ago.

Musical poet Xu Wei was another surprise and returned to the Beijing stage after years in hibernation with a few of his classic songs.

The five-hour benefit concert was hosted by China Radio International, and the 400,000 yuan will be donated to the China Charity Federation.

(China Daily 05/27/2008 page19)