Building bridges

Architecture student forges cultural connections in Europe through street performances of traditional Chinese music, Zhao Ruixue reports in Jinan.

Dressed in hanfu and adorned in delicate makeup, Zheng Xiaohui, a Chinese student in Milan, Italy, has been conducting street performances playing the erhu, a traditional two-stringed bowed instrument, to promote her country's culture to the world.

Hailing from Weifang, Shandong province, Zheng is currently pursuing a master's degree in architecture and urban design at the Politecnico di Milano. In her spare time, however, she has taken to the streets, performing in Italy and France, captivating passersby with her erhu performances.

During her first street performance in Milan in April last year, many sat down to listen to her and some also attempted to play the erhu themselves. The enthusiastic response from the audience cheered her up.

Currently, she does three or four street shows a month.

Zheng's proficiency in playing the erhu has instilled in her the confidence to perform in public.