Wang Luobin
Wang Luobin (王洛宾)
Wang Luobin was a Chinese musician who composed mandarin language folk songs based on the music of ethnic minorities in northwest China. He composed over 700 songs, earning the title "the father of the northwestern folk songs."
Born on December 28, 1913, Wang was influenced by his father who was a fan of Peking Opera, and went on to study music at Beijing Normal University. In 1934, three years after graduating, Wang joined the war of resistance against Japan, fighting in Shanxi Province. Wang composed his first Xinjiang-style song, The Girl from Dabancheng, in 1938 while living in Lanzhou, capital of Gansu Province. In 1949, he joined the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) and settled in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, where he lived for nearly 50 years. It was there he composed, collected and revised seven operas and hundreds of folk songs including his most famous numbers, At a Faraway Place, Lift Your Veil and The Crescent Moon Rises.
In a life full of twists and turns, Wang spent more than 10 years behind bars. His wife Huang Yulan, who gave birth to three sons, died from tuberculosis in 1951. But hardships and tragedies didn't break his spirit, and Wang carried on composing even in prison.
He received nation-wide acclaim in 1993 when his songs At a Faraway Place and The Crescent Moon Rises were named Chinese Music Classics of the 20th Century. In 1994, UNESCO honored him for Outstanding Contributions to the Exchange between Eastern and Western Cultures. Many of his songs have been recorded by contemporary pop stars like the Twelve Girl Band and Dao Lang.
Wang died of cancer at age of 83 in 1996.
