Coming Up Next: Ms. Zhou Yi, Pipa Virtuoso of the Ba Ban Chinese Music Society of New York

My next guest on the Conversations segment of the April 29 broadcast of Marvels of China: Pathways to the Pacific Rim is Ms. Zhou Yi, pipa virtuoso of the Ba Ban Chinese Music Society of New York. 

Founded in 1999, the Ba Ban Chinese Music Society of New York is dedicated to the preservation, creation and presentation of Chinese traditional and contemporary performing arts. 

Named after an ancient piece of folk music, "Ba Ban" literally means "Eight Beats,” which is the structural basis for the grouping of notes in traditional Chinese music. 

In 1843, Shanghai was one of the first five cities to open its ports to the West and became known as the "Paradise of Adventurers" and the “Paris of the Orient.” 

Because of its unique geographic location and the structure of foreign concessions, Shanghai gradually became the most prosperous economic trade and cultural center of the Far East in the early 20th century.

In the 1930s and 40s, Shanghai was a cultural gathering place that fostered a unique environment for creating hybrid music. The boom of the foreign trading markets, the shantytowns on the riverbank of the Suzhou River, and the cultural mixture of east and west were reflected in the complex timbres of emerging Chinese pop music. This new genre of Chinese pop was both foreign and domestic as well as modern and traditional.

We'll also feature our usual weekly words of wisdom in the Confucius Moment. 

On Treasures of China let your imagination soar as we'll take off for a new, amazing destination. 

Learn about what's going on and things to see at museums on the Weekly Almanac. 

We'll have more for you on Historical Notes, Chinese Fun Facts and Chopsticks. 

Time flies when you're having fun! 

Be part of the journey this coming Saturday, April 29, 2017 at 10:30 a.m. Eastern USA Time/ 10:30 p.m. Beijing Time on 1490 WGCH Greenwich, Connecticut USA and anywhere in WGCH.com via audio-streaming. 

If you miss the show fear not! 

We'll post a link on our archives site on Podcasts.com and the blog site on the 2017 Shows page. 

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The Pacific Learning Consortium in Honolulu, Hawaii and Greenwich, Connecticut sponsors of the weekly Confucius Moment. Now collaborating with the Admissions Network of Chinese Universities and Colleges by offering the Sino-American Cultural Exchange Scholarship Program. Now qualified Americans can study on full scholarships for their Bachelors, Masters and Doctoral degrees at Chinese universities. Get started today by contacting PacificLearningConsortium@gmail.com.  Learn more online at www.pacificlearningconsortium.org.