Shanghai Conservatory of Music Press Expands Global Reach with Multilingual Chinese Piano Collection

The Shanghai Conservatory of Music Press has achieved a significant milestone in cultural diplomacy through the successful completion of its International Promotion of Selected Chinese Piano Pieces project and the 2025 Music Traveler – European Tour of Chinese Piano Works Summer Program. Supported by the Shanghai Municipal Chinese Culture Going Global Special Fund, this initiative represents a strategic effort to present Chinese musical heritage to international audiences while fostering cross-cultural understanding through artistic expression.

Compiled by renowned piano educator Professor Dan Zhaoyi, the Selected Chinese Piano Pieces collection has gained recognition for its substantial artistic and pedagogical value. Following its initial 2021 English edition publication in New Zealand, the collection has now been officially released in four additional languages—English, German, French, and Hungarian—through collaboration with Editio Musica Budapest. This multilingual publication strategy ensures the widespread accessibility of Chinese piano music across European markets, breaking down linguistic barriers that traditionally limited the global appreciation of China's musical traditions.

The project's European tour included a comprehensive series of cultural events that created a new model for global music promotion. On July 21, the multilingual book launch at Budapest's House of Music served as the program's centerpiece, followed by concerts featuring 14 Chinese teachers and students performing traditional works such as Colorful Clouds Chasing the Moon, Jasmine Flower, and Pictures of Bashu. The cultural exchange deepened when Hungarian musicians Gábor Gadó (cello) and Péter Jéger (piano) joined the performances with moving renditions of The Blooming of the Mountain Azaleas and My Motherland and Me, demonstrating genuine European appreciation for Chinese musical culture.

Beyond performances, the program provided exceptional educational opportunities through master classes with leading European musicians including Imre Hargitai, Anikó Novák, Markus Prause, and Zhang Liming. Participants also met Professor Walter Fleischmann, a legendary figure of the Viennese Piano School, and visited G. Henle Verlag in Munich, where President Dr. Norbert Gertsch shared insights into German musical craftsmanship traditions. The cultural significance was further emphasized when students performed Chinese works on a piano historically used by Evgeny Kissin, symbolizing the bridging of musical traditions across continents.

This nine-day cultural diplomacy initiative left profound impressions on both Chinese participants and European audiences, with experts and musicians praising the delegation's professionalism and enthusiasm while affirming the artistic value of Chinese piano works. The project's success demonstrates Shanghai's growing commitment to cultural exchange and represents a sophisticated approach to soft power diplomacy through the universal language of music, potentially establishing a replicable model for future cultural promotion efforts worldwide.