But instead of forging new pieces continuously, he says he waits for the essence of music to come to him and prompt him to write without much preparation or forethought. Su Yang says he's not qualified to create music but, by respecting the accumulated national musical culture and grasping the music's incarnation in his mind, he can embody its spirit and convey it to others. He insists that humans feel the spirit of music and record it, but that it does not originate in themselves.

(Work and Love)

The song we're hearing now is called Work and Love. In the context of folk music, Work is the culmination of a group effort, with the rhythm reflecting the ineffable connections between individuals, according to some natural law. When they sing, they express their heart in an implicit, subconscious, yet beautiful way. And this credo lies at the heart of Su Yang, a diligent yet humble man of music.

Still, he has rewritten and altered his songs many times since first setting them down, as he aligns them with his own singing style. He says this is a process of communication -- a communication between the singer and the music. And he is so intimate with the material now, that even the songs of his first album have become programmed into his body like a kind of 'muscle memory.'

Su Yang says, while chatting with me, that he's not as talented as many of his fellows. But to my mind, he is charting a course of the highest musical integrity; he is not so much a man who makes music, as one who lives life and musically chronicles the journey. Through a personal and musical humility, both the person and the music shine all the brighter for that.

Here is a live-recorded version of the song, Phoenix, by Su Yang and his band. Thanks for listening to this edition of China Beat on China Radio International. I'm Xu Jue, wishing you all the best; catch you next week.

(Phoenix)