#Chronicles #Musician
The Legend of Pianist Fou Ts'ong 傳聰 (1934-2020)

Any lover of Classical Music, will have a few copies of Fou T’song playing Chopin.

His parents sank in the waves of China’s soaring growth. His father was a famous France- based cultural critic and translator of French literature.

In 1955, Fou T’song was invited to compete in the 5th International Chopin Piano Competition in Warshaw, and won the 3rd place, being the first Chinese musician to win in the event.

After graduating from his piano studies in Poland, Fou did not return to China in 1958. Such an action was amidst a political suicide. During the Cultural Revolution, Fou’s parents were labelled by the Red Guards as rightists. The couple committed suicide by hanging themselves, and their graves were also destroyed later.

The Fou family was redressed when Deng Xiaoping came to power. Fou T’song was finally allowed to play in China.

Being called self-inflated and cynical, Fou responded in an interview by the Chinese media:

“I admit to being cynical, and I will always be cynical. There is nothing wrong about it. Humans should feel this way, to feel so strong about right and wrong. This is our instinct.”

He summed up his outlook on life in a few sentences.

This is Fou T’song.

[Editor's note: Fou T'song was born in 1934 in Shanghai during the Republican era of China. He died of coronavirus on December 28, 2020 in London]

Source: Otfried Lian #Dec29

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#ChineseHistory #FouTsong #CulturalRevolution #Chopin #Pianist