Two concerts held at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing on Dec 10 and 11 mark the 40th anniversary of the reform and opening-up. [Photo by Zou Hong/China Daily]

The renowned Chinese composers, Ye, Tan and Chen, who enrolled at the conservatory to study music composition in 1978, gave speeches at the forum, recalling their school days and sharing their understanding of the changes in the country's music scene both as witnesses and creators.

"Western classical music started taking root in China less than 100 years ago and has achieved a lot, especially since the reform and opening-up started," says Ye, 63, who was born in a musicians' family in Shanghai and started learning the piano at age 4.

Now, he is the chairman of the Chinese Musicians' Association and a professor at the Central Conservatory of Music. He initiated the Beijing Modern Music Festival 16 years ago.

Ye came to Beijing when he was 23 years old and began his studies at the conservatory. He worked in a factory in Shanghai for six years before that.

"We benefitted from the reform and opening-up, and the resumption of the national college entrance exam. Now, Chinese musicians perform internationally. Looking back, the year 1978 laid the base for China's rise on the global stage," says Ye, adding that the originality and creativity of Chinese composers has been among the important changes in the classical music scene in China in the past four decades.

"The merger of Western classical music and Chinese culture has made the works of Chinese composers unique," Ye adds.