American singer Mark Levine: singing my China stories to the world

Though an American by birth, Mark Levine knows China more than one could ever imagine.

Born in 1948 in Los Angeles, California, in the United States, Mark Levine is now a singer, song-writer and English teacher. After working as a volunteer in low-income communities in the US for nearly 30 years, Levine came to China some 16 years ago, starting out in a prefecture-level city as an English teacher. Levine didn't realize at the time that he would soon come to fall in love with the country and end up staying continuously for the following years thereafter.

"My first memory related to China is my parents telling me not to waste food because many children in China were starving," Levine recalled. But when he first came to China in 2005 to Huai'an City, in east China's Jiangsu Province, he saw a China much different from the one in his childhood memories.

Throughout the years, he has remained committed to bridging the cultural gap between the West and China, having been dubbed by some as a "traveling troubadour of the 21st century."

Singing China stories 

Mark Levine performs with his music partner Fu Han on the stage. (Photo provided by Mark Levine)

As a music buff, Levine likes to write songs and sing along to them with his guitar. So far, Levine has written more than 70 songs about China, with a wide variety of themes such as traveling, migrant workers, Chinese culture and natural landscapes.

Levine also formed a music duo together with a Chinese woman named Fu Han, naming the ensemble "In Side Out," with the duet fusing Eastern and Western singing styles and musical instruments together into one combined whole; or, to put it more plainly, a duo, "just like the inside and the outside of a T-shirt, but it's only one shirt."

Levine considers writing songs to be a natural way to convey his thoughts and feelings about the world around him. "I saw things changing right before my eyes. And suddenly lyrics would come to me and I'd write them down."

"Sometimes the lyrics come relatively fast, but sometimes I would get stuck. Then I'd put it aside first and finish it later," he smiled. Levine said one of his songs, which happens to be about the Terracotta Warriors, a song which he started writing 3 years ago, was only just recently finished after receiving a sudden flash of inspiration. 

Mark Levine performs at Haidian Park in Beijing. (Photo provided by Mark Levine)

Having served as a first-hand witness to China's development, Levine has also had the chance to put pen to paper and record some intimate accounts of critical events in the country's history.

In 2020, the unexpected outbreak of COVID-19 overturned Levine's applecart and compelled the song-writer to make a sudden change of plans. During that time, he was mostly stuck inside his apartment teaching online classes for three months, which was a new kind of experience for him.

Throughout the year, he kept in contact with close friends and acquaintances he knew across China and abroad, having made an effort every day to pay attention to the news feeds from both inside and outside of China. He encountered and learned how the country had responded to the encroachment of the lethal virus and soon decided to compose a song about it to add to his large collection of musical stories about his life in China, a song which he penned with the title of "Together we must take a stand – fight the novel coronavirus."

"Health workers treated patients case by case. And Hubei Province was shut down, every city and town. People sacrificed to stop the illness' flow…," the lyrics chanted.

"Everybody worked together. It wasn't just the actions of the government; there was a collective response by the people," said Levine.

Levine said that Chinese people had a collective sense that "we are all in this together," an advantage that some countries have lacked in their fight against the deadly virus. "We see in many parts of the world where people are saying 'I'm not gonna wear a mask' or 'I'm not gonna get sick.' But what happened in China was that there was a stronger recognition of one's collective responsibility." 

Mark Levine shows off his music albums. (Photo provided by Mark Levine)

This sense of responsibility has also been deeply rooted in Levine's mind. Now, Levine opts not to travel to those parts of the country that are considered high risk areas and has adopted the habit of wearing a mask wherever he goes. "Maybe I'm not sick, but maybe I've got it and just have no symptoms, so I could potentially pass it onto others (if not wearing a mask). I see other people are being responsible and I need to be responsible, too."

"I've never felt unsafe in China about anything, including COVID-19. I'm glad I was here," he said.

Levine hopes that the world can work together to defeat COVID-19, just like the lyric he wrote in his song: "Coronavirus, we will defeat, around the world it must be beat. So here and there in every land, together we will take a stand."

When West meets East

Mark Levine sits on a boat in Fenghuang Ancient Town, central China's Hunan Province. (Photo provided by Mark Levine)

During the past 16 years, Levine has visited 29 provinces across China. He said that throughout his journeys it was in fact the Chinese people that impressed him the most.

"I've been to a diverse range of areas, not only big cities, small cities, the countryside and villages, but also lots of areas inhabited by minorities. Through that, I've been able to meet a variety of people from different kinds of backgrounds. But wherever I went, I found people to be friendly and welcoming. They are always willing to teach me about what life is like within their communities."

Among all the places he's ever visited, Beijing is still his favorite, as the country's capital city reminds him of his hometown.

"I grew up in Los Angeles in the 1950s and 1960s. In the city, there were people who had come from all over the country and all over the world. They came there and they knew what they wanted to do: they wanted to accomplish their dreams. And that's also what I've found here in Beijing, a place filled with lots of energy and excitement."

Mark Levine is invited as a guest on a Chinese TV show. (Photo provided by Mark Levine)

After spending a colorful life in China, Levine began to write to friends about what he had experienced and they very much appreciated his stories, suggesting that they would be of benefit to a wider English-speaking audience wanting to understand this seemingly mysterious country located halfway around the world.

In 2014, Levine published his first book entitled Stories from My Chinese Journey, which attempted to provide readers who are curious but still unfamiliar with China a way to better appreciate how people in the country live their lives. He also plans to publish a second book, Singing My China Stories to the World, this spring.

There was one important factor that drove him to write his books. One of his American friends once expressed his confusion to Levine that what he read about China in the reporting of some Western media, when compared with what he actually saw in China with his own eyes, was like living in two different worlds.

Levine knew that his friend was not alone in his confusion. "For those unable to experience China for themselves or those held back by half-truths, the confusion may never be resolved." Therefore, he decided to paint a picture of the real China witnessed in his own eyes and in the broadest strokes possible to reveal a China to audiences who seek a view of the country not clouded by politically motivated rhetoric.

"Chinese and non-Chinese have much more in common than we think," Levine said. 

In 2014, Mark received the Chinese Government’s Friendship Award, China’s highest award for foreign experts. (Photo provided by Mark Levine)

To his delight, many Chinese people have also been interested in seeing China through his eyes as they are often surprised to find in his book that he presents a unique perception of their country unlike their own.

"One of my students contacted me after reading my book, saying it was so interesting to see my understanding of China. For example, I wrote about Baijiu (Chinese spirits) and toasting. The student said she hadn't realized that this was a particular characteristic of China and Chinese people until reading my book," Levine said.

"Lots of the content is based on actual conversations that I've had with other people, both Chinese and foreigners, allowing China to speak for itself in this way."

In 2014, Levine received the Chinese Government's Friendship Award, China's highest award for foreign experts who have made outstanding contributions to the country's economic and social progress.

When asked whether he plans to live in China in the future, he gave an affirmative answer. "I have a very nice life here in China. There are so many things that I can contribute through my teaching, singing, and writing."

"It's my home. Why would I leave?"