Pipa player promotes traditional Chinese music through livestream

After graduating from Zhejiang Conservatory of Music in Hangzhou, capital city of east China's Zhejiang Province, Wei Xiaodie, a young pipa artist, joined an orchestra. She later quit and became a livestream anchor to better promote traditional Chinese music.

Wei has garnered 1.16 million followers on Kuaishou, a short-video platform in China, in just half a year, by showing the art of the pipa, a pear-shaped stringed instrument, to her viewers.

"I found a new direction in life doing this," said Wei.

Photo shows Wei Xiaodie, a livestream anchor on Kuaishou, a short-video platform in China. (Photo/Qianjiang Evening News)

Born in Shaoxing city, Zhejiang Province, Wei started to learn the pipa when she was 6. After she decided to turn professional, she trained even harder.

In September 2022, she started to try her hand at live-streaming. During a show, she gained over 5,000 followers on Kuaishou.

"At first, I didn't know how to do it and what to say in front of the camera. But then I found that I didn't need to talk and all I had to do was play the pipa in front of the camera. I received a lot of messages from my viewers during that session," Wei said.

Wei said her duties as a staff member of the orchestra included music composition, making musicals, rehearsing and teaching. Compared with these, live-streaming brings more possibilities. However, her family members and friends were not supportive of her decision to leave the job at first.

Photo shows Wei Xiaodie, a livestream anchor on Kuaishou, a short-video platform in China. (Photo/Qianjiang Evening News)

"My parents didn't understand why I should quit and they thought I had a good job at that time, and after that I should get married and have children. But I don't like to be restrained," said Wei.

To persuade her parents, Wei invited them to her show. "My parents found that I was supported by a lot of people who became interested in the musical instrument because of me, and they also realized that I enjoyed my job a lot," said Wei.

In February 2023, Wei left the orchestra and became a livestream anchor.

Aside from hosting livestreams, Wei would also like to perform inside scenic areas in the city, wearing a Qipao dress or a Hanfu costume, both excellent representations of traditional Chinese costumes.

She said compared with performing in the concert hall, playing the musical instrument during livestreams can generate a good interaction between her and the viewers.

Wei said she is delighted to see that many people have become interested in the pipa after watching her shows. "The livestreams have promoted traditional Chinese music and made more people fall in love with it," said Wei.