STORY: New Zealand musician in Zhongshan creates music reflecting Dragon Boat Festival
DATELINE: July 23, 2023
LENGTH: 00:03:52
LOCATION: ZHONGSHAN, China
CATEGORY: CULTURE
 
SHOTLIST:
1. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): DONALD KEPPLE, Musician from New Zealand
2. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): DONALD KEPPLE, Musician from New Zealand
3. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): DONALD KEPPLE, Musician from New Zealand
4. SOUNDBITE 4 (Cantonese): ALAN, Drummer of the band
5. SOUNDBITE 5 (English): DONALD KEPPLE, Musician from New Zealand
 
STORYLINE:
 
SOUNDBITE 1 (English): DONALD KEPPLE, Musician from New Zealand
"Summer has arrived, and in Zhongshan that means many interesting events and special occasions. Our band is called Tempest. My wife and I both come from a classical music background, but we also have a very explosive style of playing. I have a digital guzheng sound on my computer. That's connected to the keyboard and I can play it with all my sounds together. I play the actual acoustic instrument, with some effects layered on top. Zhongshan is my wife's hometown. I've found the longer I live here, the more involved I become in the annual cycles and events. I spend a lot of time exploring the Qijiang River near where I live."
 
SOUNDBITE 2 (English): DONALD KEPPLE, Musician from New Zealand
"I really started to feel a connection to the land and so I guess I started writing music that reflects this."
 
SOUNDBITE 3 (English): DONALD KEPPLE, Musician from New Zealand
"This particular piece was the theme of our recent show at a creative park down by the river. I've been waiting to perform it at the Dragon Boat Festival and imbue it with a special feeling."
 
SOUNDBITE 4 (Cantonese): ALAN, Drummer of the band
"The song really shocks me. First of all, I grew up in Shaxi Town in Zhongshan. I've been playing lion and dragon dances with my elders since I was a child. (This song expresses) a sleeping dragon slowly awaken and fly up to the sky."
 
SOUNDBITE 5 (English): DONALD KEPPLE, Musician from New Zealand
"Every time I perform, it is a personal journey of discovery of the instrument. I would rather discover for myself, than have someone telling me how everyone else does something. That's probably a reason why I live here rather than my own country. I'm not making New Zealand or Chinese music, I'm making 'Zhongshan' music."
 
Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Zhongshan, China.
(XHTV)