A sublime blend of old school and new world music

Traditional Chinese folk music, like many other ancient art forms in China, is struggling to survive in the face of a fading fan base.

Zhang Yitao, an erhu player who started learning the two-stringed traditional Chinese music instrument when he was 4 years old, is not oblivious to this fact.

However, instead of lamenting about the situation, the 30-year-old, who graduated with a master's degree from the China Conservatory of Music last year, has been pushing the boundaries of traditional Chinese folk music and reaching out to audiences, especially the younger generation, with solid performances.