Eric's Beijing Diary

Last night I was on my way back from the Thursday fellowship when I saw some Norwegian young people I have talked to from time to time at the coffee bar. They invited me to an improvisation at the D-22 bar. Turned out to be a Saxophone player who makes weird sounds using a saxophone and another ancient Chinese wind instrument, which I have heard, but can't remember the name of.

Chinese young people are experimenting with all kinds of avant garde music these days, mixing western music with ancient Chinese sounds. Well, some of them. Many of the rock bands pretty much follow the western rock style entirely. You couldn't tell by listening to them that there was anything Chinese about them, except, of course, for the lyrics. Then there are the European rock stars, such as the English Language Danish rock band that is popular here, but which I had never heard of before I came to China. And the French, also. Often you can sit in a restaurant and hear popular French singers. Nobody understands them, but everyone likes to listen to them.