ANCHOR: Thanks Yingying, for that report. You are listening to Heartbeat, the show that gets to the centre of China’s ever-changing lifestyle, yet still manages to discover the country’s rich cultural heritage.

Chinese people have always appreciated classical music. China is also a country that has produced its share of renowned classical musicians. The year 2010 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of one of the world's greatest musicians, Frederick Chopin. It is also the 10th year since Chinese pianist, Li Yundi, won the gold medal at the International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition. Recently, Li attended a concert celebrating the birth of Chopin in Warsaw, Poland, where his dream began. In just 10 years' time, Li has taken massive steps toward his dream in music. Our reporter Zhao Kun has the details.

Reporter:

Warsaw is very special to Chinese famous pianist, Li Yundi. Born in 1982, Li started to learn how to play piano at the age of four. Because of his great talent for music, he developed very quickly. In October of 2000, as the chosen competitor, Li went to Warsaw to attend the 14th International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition, and became the youngest champion of the competition. Li says his return to Warsaw after 10 years of awards has given him lots to consider.

"I think I have a special relationship with Poland. I started my career here. What I would like to say is that Poland has supplied me with a splendid start to my music career. And because of Chopin, I now have the chance to describe the spirit of my music. That's why I came back here. Warsaw is unique for me."

After Li Yundi won the International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition, he gained an esteemed reputation. He has been described as perfect and as the most poetic pianist in the world.

"At the mention of the word of poetic, the Chinese would get a tender feeling, since we have so many famous and excellent poets such as Li Bai and Du Fu. When playing the music of Chopin, people can also find the beautiful rhythms of them. In my opinion, the Chinese cultural heritage and its traditions can be expressed through the spirit of Chopin's music."

Li Yundi says Chopin's music is very classical. Just talking about the creation techniques and style, leads him to believe Chopin is the world's greatest ever music composer. And Chopin is also the greatest contributor to piano performance. Li suggests that when learning the performance of the piano, people should play the music of Chopin as often as possible. This will help them to get a comprehensive understanding of piano performance.

"Chopin is also a poetic pianist. Most of his works are very graceful. His music pieces together different times and also indicates the different moods he was feeling. Chopin Nocturnes is my favorite. I also like the Polonaise which has revealed national spirit."

Ten years have contributed to Li Yundi being a more mature musician. He says now he has a better understanding of Chopin's music. He says after 10 years he is getting to the point where it is more suitable to play Chopin, because the majority of Chopin's music pieces were created when he was around the age of 30.

However, regardless of how many years pass, Li Yundi's biggest musical dream is to promote and develop real classical music and spread the spirit of classical music to the world.

"My biggest wish is to introduce more and more beautiful music to the world. And I also hope I can perform that great music in various ways. The most important thing is to keep the purity of the music and also the deep spirit of classical music. In order to get a better understanding of the learning of classical music, the first thing to know is that classical music is pure."

Li says music is something pure and real. For the development of musical art, there should be peaceful and quiet space. These are the words he would like to impart to younger generations who are on their way to better learning musical art.

ANCHOR: Thanks Zhao Kun for that glimpse into the passion of one of China’s most beloved and renowned musicians. You’re listening to Heartbeat. Much like music, certain things such as photos or diaries are able to invoke a sense of nostalgia. Aside from pictures and journals, some people who like to keep memories by collecting items such as stamps and money. For stamp and money collectors, it is a habit they have developed over many years. These individuals are prompted by the love of having a collection of items that are a mark of history and transform through time. Nillah Nyakoa visited the Madian area in Beijing, which is now China's home to the biggest coin and stamp market.

ANCHOR: Thanks Nillah Nyakoa for that report. You’re listening to Heartbeat. Now it’s time for some music.

Jane Zhang, or Zhang Liangying is undoubtedly the most popular singer on the Chinese mainland. She rose to prominence after her third-place performance in the 2005 season of the Super Girl contest. “If this is love” is selected from her new album titled ‘I believe’, a solid effort with several hits making a mark on China’s music Charts. Without further ado, here is “If this is love” from Jane Zhang.

ANCHOR: That was “If this is love” by Jane Zhang. You’re listening to Heartbeat. As always, you can find more information on our website at crienglish.com. Special thanks to the “China Now” team that helped make this show possible, and for everyone here at ‘Heartbeat’ I’m Yunfeng.  Thanks for listening.