FLOODESIGN

It is a wonderfully appropriate expression, not only because it succinctly describes the way Lu mixes traditional and modern techniques in her playing, but also because the erhu's role as a cultural symbol of China is the fortuitous result of multicultural influences mixing with accidents of history. Although Western audiences primarily know the erhu from concert stages, it's still embedded in the Chinese cultural consciousness as a folk instrument. For most of its thousand-year history in China it was called "the beggar's instrument," as it was typically seen in the hands of street musicians, often blind and left to ply only this particular trade. To this day, even in large cities like Shanghai, a few itinerant musicians can be seen playing the melancholy tunes for which the erhu is famous. The instrument's humble background directly relates to its origins as a barbarian import: it was brought over by nomadic people from the north of China and spread among the lower classes. Along with its light and portable body, the erhu's versatile and expressive tone — with its ability to imitate the human voice, birdsong and even the neighing of horses — made it an invaluable addition to folk operas and narrative folk songs. The snobbery of the privileged classes limited the erhu's reach, but also helped insulate it from China's many political The erhu virtuoso Yiwen Lu describes her playing style with the phrase "a hundred rivers in one sea" — a Chinese saying that refers to multiple elements flowing smoothly together to create a larger, holistic entity. F R O M T H E S T R E E T S TO THE STAGE B Y M A L O Y L U A K I A N 34 www.peakperfs.org

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