Liu Wenjin

Who is Liu Wenjin?

Liu Wenjin was a Chinese composer of classical Chinese music best known for his erhu piece Sanmenxia Changxiangqu. He also composed, among other things, Ballad of Yubei.

Liu as born in Tangshan, Hebei Province and later went to the United States under the auspices of the Chinese Music Society of North America.

He was one of China's most distinguished and respected composer-conductors.

A prolific composer, Liu wrote pieces spanning instrumental, vocal, choral and song-and-dance music. He also scored for more than a dozen television drama series. His instrumental works include ‘Impressions of Taixing Mountain’, ‘Ambush from All Sides’ and ‘Jasmine’ for Chinese orchestra.

During his younger years, Liu excelled in his academic studies and received the most outstanding student award. During this period, he also composed his first two erhu works, ‘Ballad of North Henan Province’ and ‘The Sanmen Gorge Capriccio’, which were sister pieces combining both the erhu and piano.

In 1993, the ‘Ballad of North Henan Province’ was chosen as "20th century's classic Chinese music".