Chinese classical music is eternally beautiful. Hong Ting demonstrates this on this album. Is it any good and worth listening to? Let’s find out.

Firstly we have Lotus Out Of Water which begins with plucked Chinese strings, and this piece sounds rather odd, but beautiful simultaneously. Expertly played and delivered, this is a superb listening experience. The Zheng instrument here is wonderful and brilliantly beautiful. This is a genuinely good introduction (of that there are many) to Chinese traditional music. A beautiful listen with a tempo of its own throughout, this is marvellous. Excellent to hear, very refreshing. It speeds up towards the end, lovely to hear. It ends dramatically.

Next is Ah-Do-Qing Ah-Si-Er which has some gentle string plucking and a very great authentic Chinese feel to the piece here. It is very well played, and quite colourful in sound as well. It is quite short, at about a minute long. Great, all the same, however.

The Fisherman’s Song At Dusk comes next, which begins with some eerie playing on the Zheng instrument. This is played and performed fantastically. It sounds majestic and beautiful and is a glimpse into the Chinese world, vastly different from the English speaking world. This is definitely amazing and is well done. It is very much like painting a picture or telling an ancient story: a true musical treasure. It speeds up frenetically towards the end and climaxes in a wonderful finish. This is really good.

Milking Song comes next. It begins with some super fast plucking, which is awesome. It then kicks into a catchy and well-delivered piece that harks back to traditional times in China. A great piece of music that sounds fantastic, there are many tempo and melody changes throughout. Another excellent piece on this album.

Next up is Flowers On The Brocade which, indeed, is very picturesque. A slower and more tranquil piece of music than what came before, this sounds incredibly good. Even though this is only two and a half minutes long, it is really amazing and wonderful sounding. It almost sounds like a Chinese harp, the Zheng playing here, that is. Excellent.

Following is The Warbling Birds which is another great piece of historical music. Some of the vibrato in the playing here is extremely impressive. This whole album and the individual pieces here are legendary. Transcending space and time, we have an excellent listen here.

Song Of The Flying Phoenix comes next and is an instrumental ode to the legendary bird that, according to such legend, may or may not still exist. The playing sounds joyous and upbeat here and sounds awesome. It is very short, at only barely over a minute long.

The Sorrow Of Lady Zhaojun arrives, and we have a super slow intro to this piece. A very suspenseful piece, this takes a while to get started, but once started, is a downtempo and slightly sad sound piece of music. Some incredible and excellent playing is here. Another refreshing listen, this is definitely different. The playing here is definitely top. Worth hearing.

Following up is The Hang-Down Curtain which is more upbeat and quicker than the previous track. Some lovely plucking is here, and this whole thing is awesomely awesome. A very unique and beautiful set of songs, this album will not disappoint those who are fans of Chinese music and culture. Brilliant music, and great playing.

After that is Autumn Moon Over Still Lake which is very much picturesque music for those who dig this sort of thing. It is a beautiful, wonderful and incredible performance that many western artists would not pay a lot of attention to. Still, it is unique in its own way. A wonderful listen, start to finish, this is a really gentle listen.

The Wind Sways The Green Bamboos is a more unconventional sounding piece of Zheng playing. Beautiful, lovely and colourful, this is impressive. The instrumental solo here is unique and fantastic. Great job here, although it is less than two minutes long.

Liu Yang River comes next and starts with a bass note before different melodies are added on top. This piece is long but fortunately makes up for it in musicianship. With some unique playing and sounds, this is definitely different. Top effort, as usual, this is an outstanding piece of music. Great to hear. The ending is really superb.

Next is A Bit Of Gold which is a short and good piece of music. This is fine musicianship and great playing on the Zheng instrument. A good, short sample of the deep culture of China, this sounds really good. Great to hear.

Following is Winter Ducks Play On Water which begins with some strummed melodies, before going into a quirky sounding piece with a lot of vibrato throughout. A top listen, this music is just as enjoyable as many of your favourite songs. A great taste of China, good to hear. The melodies are very soulful. Nice to hear this piece of musical history. A very good listen.

Moon Over Guan-Shan Mountain comes next and seems like the sort of music you would listen to in an outdoor dining area at night. Very lovely and beautiful, this is a great example of fine Chinese musicianship. Excellent to hear, and takes you to a faraway place. Excellent.

The Flowing Springs In The Ravine finishes off this album, with nice and joyous Zheng playing. This is an incredibly good listen and just sounds awesome. A nice way to end a great album of Chinese music, and no doubt one to change your musical perception. A great piece of music.

This is a fine example of Chinese Zheng Classical music to listen to. It sounds excellent from start to finish and should be heard when the mood strikes. A very good instrumental album.

Magical.

9/10