When one hears the music of another country, society or culture, it is a mindblowing experience. Indeed, it opens one’s mind up to the broader potential of life and the meaning of life itself as well. Without exploring the mindset of other different locations, even in music, one can find that life takes on less meaning. Although China is now a world power today, there is so much depth and soul in Chinese culture that it is a true blessing to enjoy some elements of a culture one is not totally aware of. In many ways, Chinese music and Western music are completely different from each other, as well as the cultural gap between both Western and Chinese cultures. This is an album that is a collection of traditional Chines folk music. Let’s take a listen to this album and hear exactly where this takes us.

Purple Bamboo Melody: Zi Zhu Diao (Purple Bamboo Melody) by Dacan Chen is a beautiful piece from the start, with traditional Chinese instrumentation and melodies, including wind instruments and other string instruments. This is fantastic, it is instantly gorgeous and magical throughout. This does take one’s mind elsewhere and is an essential listening experience from the start of it all. This is exactly what Chinese culture fans should explore musically. A wind instrument solo reigns above it all, sounding pretty and majestic. This is superb listening and is 100% worth your time and listening. It ends after two minutes, a great job.

Yu Ge by He Li begins with more traditional Chinese instrumentation, including wind instrumentation and violin-styled string instrumentation. This is absolutely gorgeous, make no mistake about it. There is a great emphasis on the wind instrument being played here, and it does sound very excellent and brilliant. Following is a Pipa sounding part that joins in, and sounds brilliant. A joyful, energetic and fresh sounding piece of music, this is traditional Chinese music in a folk setting (not Bob Dylan obviously, but you get the idea) that sounds listenable, enjoyable and fantastic for what it is. A really great tune to enjoy, the music here is really divine. Beautiful, outstanding and likely all one take, this is a rare gem musically, if you can find this album. In the second half, the main section concludes with the wind instrument, before a new section pops up that sounds like the sort of music that one would play in a Chinese village. Really excellent and brilliant sounding, this is really wonderful music from start to finish. A very underrated piece of music, and worth your time indeed. If you love anything East Asian, you will love this. Excellent.

Jiang He Shui (Rivers and Streams) by Dacan Chen begins with some traditional Chinese string instrumentation solo, which sounds deep, musically beautiful and rather melancholy in its vibe. This is a very pretty and moving solo instrumental piece, which eventually builds up with Zither playing along, and we are underway. This is no doubt a traditional Chinese music piece brought to life here. A really powerfully emotional and deep listening experience here, this reaches a crescendo climax. A fine and fantastic listen, all the same, this should motivate one to think about lands unknown, or even to begin learning Mandarin Chinese or Cantonese languages. It is simply that good. This music works on many levels, although this is ideal for home listening more than anything else. Pretty, interesting and emotional, this is great and underrated music. The second half has a more Zither styled approach at hand and plays a solo part very nicely and medically here. The string instrument solo returns soon enough, and touches one’s soul in many ways that Western music cannot. The two instruments play a call-and-response here on this track, and the Chinese dream is in your ears. This builds up to a frenzy in the second half, just sounding really quality and excellent listening, especially towards the end. A fantastic listen, no matter where you are globally, this works extremely well. Good job overall, this is stunning music. Definitely worth hearing, it will make you smile. It ends with a pretty outro.

Wu Bang Zi is by He Li. It begins with a very pretty wind instrument solo that flutters above everything, like a free bird flying. Other instrumentation is present as well in the background to support this listening experience, and the whole thing sounds really excellent. A three minute piece of beauty, melody and energy, this is a very different sort of musical piece than Western music, that is for sure. It changes tempo halfway through, which is quirky and different here. It speeds up throughout the second half in a dramatic fashion, sounding really brilliant all the same. It eventually reaches a sped-up climax that is super fast, before concluding with a solid gold wind instrument finale. Great.

Sai Ma (Horse Races) is again by Dacan Chen. It indeed sounds like the music for a horse race, Chinese style. This music sounds really fast, energetic and moving throughout. It is a real joy to listen to, with plucked and string instrumentation to boot. Again, this is gorgeous and tuneful Chinese Classical music that sounds really excellent. A string instrument solo is here, before the main section of music resumes. The section towards the end in particular is excellent. Not bad for a tune less than two minutes long.

Springtime on the Tianshan Mountains is by Yu Cheng. It begins with some Pipa styled plucked instrumentation, wind instrumentation in the background and sounds very artistic and beautiful on this album. It is a really interesting and descriptive instrumental, that sounds melodic and enjoyable. Great Pipa sounds are here, and this is an enjoyable and moving musical experience to listen to. Unlike most Top 50 artists today at the time of writing, this is consistent and excellent sounding. This eventually launches into a really pretty and well-delivered piece of instrumental music that sounds top. There is some slight percussion present as well. A very pretty piece of music, this does sound pleasantly listenable and pristine. Towards the end, this does sound like Chinese village music, once again as mentioned before. A very musical and melodic piece of musicianship, this works very well, in ways that Western music falls flat. Great music with a dramatic finish.

Gu Xiang (My Home Town) is by Dacan Chen. It is an eight minute long piece that starts out with some fluttering Zither styled melodies, string instrumentation and quickly has some particularly interesting wind instrumentation here. This continues on, fluttering freely and emotionally here. The string instrumentation then follows, sounding both brilliant and beautiful. This does sound ridiculously good, and the music transcends both time and place. Very magical and beautiful sounding, this music continues to grow and thrive in this setting very nicely. A very quintessential piece of Classical Chinese music. A really great listening experience from China, this is exactly what one should listen to if you want to take your mind elsewhere from the mundane urban life of today. Towards the middle, the emotional listening experience of the music really kicks in nicely and there is a great deal of unity in musicianship and suspense present here. All in all, this is fantastic music and definitely comes across as an underrated set of tunes on this album. One is easily moved here listening to this. The wind instrumental section kicks in big time in the second half, which is also soul-touching. This does really sound effortless and masterful on this album and also sounds emotionally powerful. This is followed by Zither styled playing and is very pretty and lovely sounding. A great piece of music, through and through, the whole thing speeds up naturally towards the end, taking one by surprise. Worth your time, it concludes in a frenzy of sound and time. Great, all the same, it concludes wonderfully.

Huan Le Ge (Happy Song) is by He Li. It begins with a wind instrument solo, launching quickly into a lovely, gorgeous piece of instrumental work that, true to its name, is a joyous sounding piece. This is a bit shorter at under seven minutes in length but sounds so good that it will take you to that specific happy place you are longing for. Nonetheless, this does sound very fantastic. A very pretty and musically driven solo piece, this does sound extraordinary. Unlike most Western music, this solo wind instrumental is out there and different, and it does follow traditional Chinese Classical music paths. This does continue on as a solo piece, and this sounds very pretty, for a single instrument solo alone. Anyone who dares to explore Chinese culture or East Asian culture via music must hear this. It is, indeed, a happy and joyful listening experience. Despite the fact that this is an instrumental solo, this is definitely wonderful and enjoyable music to hear. The mind is transported elsewhere upon listening, and this is magical, in its own way. Fantastic performance, and something that is mindblowing upon listening. The playing becomes far more frenetic towards the end of the piece and is ecstatic in its own way. It eventually wraps up nicely, with a slower instrumental piece and concludes well.

Liang Xiao (Beautiful Evening) is by Dacan Chen. It is a much shorter piece than before and is very famous in Chinese Classical music. It begins with some excellent string instrument playing and does take the mind elsewhere on this track. A fine and fantastic listening experience, this is not a million miles away from the music in films such as the 2001 release Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, in its own way. Still, it is pretty, lovely and excellent artistry in its own way. In any case, this is another awesome piece of solo instrumental craft that is pretty, interesting and moving. A great and unique listen from China.

Chun Dou Xiang Jiang (Spring Comes To Xiang River) is by He Li. It begins with some more gorgeous wind instrumentation, supported by some other instrumentation that is gorgeous and dramatic in the background. This eventually leads to a slightly different and equally outstanding piece as before. Some Zither styled sounds enter, and they match the wind instrumentation perfectly here. This sounds really awesome, beautiful and different. Although this is specifically Chinese Classical Music, its appeal is very broad to other musical listeners. This six-minute-long piece does take a little bit of patience to go through, but it does sound magical and terrific. A fantastic and pretty listening experience, this flows just like spring waters in a simple river. Perfectly pretty and brilliant music, this never gets old. This builds up to a great climax, before entering into a joyous and danceable piece of music. A really awesome and great listen, this does sound really cool. Passionate, energetic and joyful sounding music, this does work exceptionally well here. All in all, great music to impress those of you who crave something very different. It ends with a great wind instrument solo, before a grand conclusion. Brilliant.

Er Quan Ying Yue (Spring Water Reflects The Moon) is by Dacan Chen. It begins with some Pipa styled plucking which is pretty and energetic. It flows and sounds interesting. These sorts of songs and sounds are hugely underrated to this day, and this compilation shows itself to be a must have in the history of music. Even if one simply closes their eyes and listens to this music, it is a great experience enough to enjoy. The music present is very enjoyable listening, and it sounds really intricate and fantastic for a Pipa sounding solo composition. The intricate finger plucking is really excellent here, and it has some great finesse about it. This piece, just like many others out there, is worth your time and effort. Great music, it is over after three minutes in length.

Flowing Water From The High Mountain is by Yu Cheng. It begins with some great Zither styled playing, that is amazing, pretty and fantastic sounding. This progresses nicely and is the Eastern equivalent of piano playing. Pretty, lively and adventurous sounding, this does deserve your ears. A really explorational tune in a musical sense, this does work really nicely. Not unlike a piano solo in Western Classical Music, this does sound really great and enjoyable. If you need a quick dose of the Far East, this album should be one of your go-to points for that. It breaks down and builds up in a musical frenzy before finally concluding nicely. Great work.

Feng Shou (Bumper Harvest) is by Dacan Chen and is the last track on the first half of this double album. It begins with some interesting string based instrumentation and brilliant supporting instrumentation throughout. This is upbeat and enjoyable, once again, and the appeal of this album doesn’t wear out, at least not by this point. A great melodic piece of music and musicianship, this makes such an album come alive. It has a gorgeous midsection which is really pretty musically, and touching as well. Great to hear such music, this is perfect for those who want to book a trip overseas to China, or the far East respectively. In the second half, this builds up very well and sounds like a really great musical effort. It gets very frenetic, before reaching a wonderful conclusion with a Zither styled finish. Great.

Mu Min Xin Ge is by He Li and begins the second side of this double album. It begins with a wind instrument solo that is pretty, unique and gorgeous, followed by some plucked Zither style instrumentation in the background. This is another magical and unique listening experience, sounding very Chinese and different. The wind instrument playing takes one elsewhere, and it really does sound great. An awesome tune to enjoy, this is very much a musical case for actions (or specifically, instrumentals) speaking louder than words. This is a short but excellent piece of Asian music that still sounds brilliant and unique if you listen to it today. Towards the end, this builds up into a joyful piece of music, before it reaches its gradual conclusion. It fades out nicely, a first for this album.

Ping Hu Qiu Yue (Still Lake Under The Autumn Moon) is by Dacan Chen. It begins with more tranquil and gorgeous traditional Chinese instrumentation, just sounding great with the string instrumentation and Zither like twanging sounds present here. It is a real joy to hear, and although this is a fairly lengthy double album, this is terrific work that is truly magical. Definitely worthy of your time, this is music from a land abroad that sounds really cool and excellent. If music were deemed to be magical, surely this album would be in definitely the most magical of all releases to date. There is a unique and grand sense of melody here, and the instrumental music is far and away from Western music in this sense. It does sound fantastic, too. This is a dramatic and gorgeous listen on this album that never ceases to be excellent throughout. Beautiful, dramatic and very Chinese, this is outstandingly wonderful listening. The plucked melodies and string sections sound made for each other here. A really great and different tune to listen to, this is a must-hear from the second half of this album. Brilliant.

Gou Sou Xing (A Trip To Gou Sou) is by He Li. It begins with a wind instrumental, followed quickly by plucked Zither sounds and other instrumentation that sounds really brilliant. This sounds brilliantly awesome and very excellent for what it is. The instrumental really gets going here after a minute or so, and just sounds amazing and surreal. This album showcases some of the best modern Chinese music to be made and played in general. The sounds and melodies are truly mesmerising in their own way, and they transcend time and place. A fresh and different listening experience, this does sound completely different to other music out there and is mindblowing in that respect of its unique sound. The second half of this tune sounds really pretty and is a bit more mid-tempo than the first half of this piece. It still sounds surprisingly good for the music at hand. A really interesting and awesome tune to enjoy, this does excite one upon listening to it. It eventually slows back down into a slower section of music towards the end, before beginning to conclude in such a magical and different way. Definitely fantastic, and something really special to listen to. It ends with a wind instrument solo before twangy Zither style sounds finish this. Monumental.

San Liu (Three and Six) is a short piece by Dacan Chen. It begins with some strange string instrument soloing, which is quite unusual for this album, and has a dual-tracked recording of multiple string based instruments playing along. This sounds refreshing in its own way and is a fine joy to listen to and experience musically. A really excellent instrumental, along with the rest of the album, this is not as interesting as the other pieces on this album, but it makes up for it in fine beauty. This is likely something that fans of violin playing who wish to hear some Eastern music should listen to. A really lovely and enjoyable tune, this transports one’s mind to the streets of Beijing or Shanghai and simply works very well. Very, very good and very well played throughout. A very gentle listen throughout. This music is wonderful, and it sounds very much uplifting. Great to hear, it is fairly minimal, but this does work nicely on a listening level. It ends after nearly six minutes in length and sounds very different here. Excellent instrumental.

In the Evening of the Torch Festival is by Yu Cheng. It begins with some unusual sounding Pipa sounds, a wind instrument solo to match and sounds really rather eerie, in its own way. This powers along very nicely though, and has some frenetic Pipa styled playing, along with excellent wind instrumentation galore that is mint. This is completely different from what has come before and shows some beauty and elegance to the whole tune. Quite an interesting listen regardless, this does sound pretty and wonderful throughout. Towards the middle, this does change at a drop of a hat and goes straight into a Pipa led piece of glory that is both enjoyable and wonderful. Really cool listening and this is super pretty. To be fair, this album is a little lengthy for Western ears, but it still works very well. There is a very unusual and glorious mash-up of Pipa and string instrument playing throughout that sounds really great and showcases some incredible beauty present. Amazing listening, and very interesting and refreshing, this works very well. A great piece of music. It gets subtle towards the end, before reaching a soft conclusion. Nice job. It finishes with subtle Pipa.

E Ma Yao Ling (Hungry Horses Ringing Bells) is by Dacan Chen. It is a shorter piece with string instrumentation that almost sounds like horns, and some weird plucked melodies abound. This is a strange piece of music to listen to, and it does sound really odd for Chinese Classical Music. Still, this does fit the album very nicely and works for those listening. A good piece of music, despite its musical weirdness. It is likely based on older music from the Qing Dynasty or possibly even earlier than that in historical musical terms. Nonetheless, enjoyable but strange melodically. This is Chinese Classical Music at its weirdest, but it still is good enough to be enjoyable. A very decent musical experience regardless, this is strange to hear and ends oddly as well.

Xi Xiang Fen (Happy Reunion) is by He Li. It is a shorter and more straightforward wind instrumental that sounds very cheerful and giddy. It does really sound quite pretty and impressive musically. A great tune, and something that sounds like a real joy to hear, this is incredibly good. Although in descriptive terms not that much can be said about this particular piece due to its simplicity, it is really fantastic to listen to. Just before the middle, this becomes greater and more assertive as a solo piece of music. Really well done all the same, this is the sort of thing that one can listen to if they need a quick shot of Chinese music that makes one cheerful. Excellent for what it is, it is a joy to hear. Great instrumental on a wind instrument.

Han Gong Qiu Yue (Autumn Moon at the Han Palace) is by Dacan Chen. It takes one’s mind through Chinese history. It begins with stringed instrumentation and sounds quite melancholy in its own way, along with the previous track. Nonetheless, it is a good listen from the go, and just works nicely. A really sad and moody tune, this does do musical justice if you feel down and need some Chinese Classical Music to enjoy. A four minute solo piece that illuminates musically the history of China in musical terms, this sounds pretty and awesome musically. A soothing listening experience, but a moody one, it is the saddest sounding piece of instrumental music on this album so far. A very good listen regardless, it is moving.

Three Ancient Tunes From Yenzhou is by Yu Cheng. It is a four minute piece that begins with some excellent Pipa playing that is superb. Really lovely and sweet sounding, this sounds very deep and emotional, quite like the track before it. In any case, this is another piece of music that works very well. The plucking and playing throughout are just amazing, and the music within is exceptionally brilliant. A fine piece of artistry, this is a very pretty and listenable tune with colourful and descriptive playing throughout. A real joy to hear, this does utilise some awesome interesting harmonics and playing on this piece that is quite astonishing. Great music, even if not everyone will enjoy Chinese Classical Music. Great to listen to, all the same.

Zo Xi Kou is by He Li. It is the epic tune of this album, going for over 15 minutes in length. It begins with wind instrumentation, string instrumentation and a whole orchestration of Chinese instruments. If you are still with us, listen on. It has some glorious Zither plucking and unique instrumentation that is grand, upbeat and listenable. An upbeat tune, this is worth the 15 minute length so far and just sounds really fresh, energetic, excellent and brilliant. It breaks down totally after a minute or two and goes into a rather discordant set of fluttering melodies present. A really unusual piece of music at this point, but it does sound very dramatic. Nonetheless, this does sound exceptionally good. A very tuneful and gorgeous listen. After the three minute mark is a slow and pretty melody that reigns supreme, just like a Chinese emperor. Still, this music is brilliant and fantastic to listen to and is the Chinese traditional musical equivalent of Progressive Rock. A very intellectual listening experience, this does sound really awesome for what it is. Exhilarating and enjoyable, this should take you along the load road to China in a very good fashion indeed. It does sound really great and excellent musically, with particular emphasis on wind instrumentation. Great to hear all the same, this does work nicely and sounds wonderful. An enjoyable and otherworldy creation in terms of musical ability, this is a real joy to hear and to listen to. The music changes somewhat in the middle, building up to a Chinese Classical Music crescendo that is gorgeous and unique. There are chugging rhythms on the string section and pretty plucked melodies in this section, bringing a sense of euphoria here. A great listen throughout, this does sound happy and positive. The second half of this piece is very upbeat and works very nicely indeed. There is a false ending, quickly followed by a Chinese wind instrument playing that is delicious melodically. This soloing continues on for some time and is a real treasure to hear. Great music nonetheless, this does sound really fine. World class traditional music from China, that this is. A great piece of music that sounds excellent. Soon enough, the rest of the instrumentation enters and we have quite an interesting tune on our hands. Fresh, lovely and inspired music, this has a huge variety and suspense. The wind instrument soloing returns with all the other instruments moving along in the background nicely, as we approach the end of this piece. This still sounds great at this point, and the music is very inspiring. Right towards the end, the backing band play nicely and this gradually wraps up nicely with more wind instrument soloing. A very pleasant listening experience, and something that is very memorable. It ends with a great climax and some Zither sounds.

Xi Yang Yang is by Dacan Chen. It is the last track on this double album and is a hit of euphoria, minus the drug intake, of course. It sounds positive, upbeat and joyous. It is a good conclusion to a rather long album of Chinese classics, but does it all very well. A really pretty listen, this does do what it promises on a musical level and leaves one feeling satisfied. The album ends here.

This long album is a great instrumental listening experience. However, sitting down and listening to it can be a tedious journey, and there are shorter and more satisfying listens out there. Due to its lengthy nature, it is not as good as it could be to listen to in all one go. There are no bad tracks, having said that, but a two-hour-long album listening experience is rather tedious for such simple music unless you can play this in the background whilst doing something else. Should you listen to this album anyway? Only if you like Chinese Classical Music, and feel brave enough to explore this kind of music. Otherwise, no.

Decent for a two-hour-long album.

7/10