Andy's musical life in Yunnan

Andy is a professional drummer from San Francisco, but he became emotionally attached to China a long time ago. During childhood, he got to know many Chinese people in San Francisco’s Chinatown, and was introduced to Chinese culture. He learned from his father that the railway line running across North America was inseparable from the hard work of Chinese builders. He looked forward to coming to China ever since.

Andy loves rock ‘n’ roll and lives an ac-tive life. After graduation from high school, he did not go to university like most of his classmates. Instead, he came to Kunming with a few friends and set up a musical band in the style of The Eagles. They performed on Nanping Street and were happily immersed in the world of music. “It was around 1999 and those were passionate days. We worried about nothing and earned a good income for our performances,” Andy recalled.

However, two of his friends left Kun-ming after less than a year and the band broke up. Andy stayed in Kunming and formed a new band, but he did not cooperate as well with the other members as he had with those in the original band. It was an unstable situation.

Later, Andy joined a tour of Yunnan organised by Yunnan Television. At that time, Yunnan Television was recruiting foreigners engaged in the entertaining cycle in Kunming to produce a promotional video because they wanted to introduce Yunnan to French people. Andy joined the film crew without hesitation. “On the bus, we musicians from different countries sang all the way. We travelled to Chuxiong, Lijiang and other major attractions in Yunnan and put all our hearts into our performances. We worked happily and enjoyed ourselves,” Andy said with an intoxicated expression.

Andy still remembers his experience in a Yi ethnic village in Dayao County, Chuxiong Prefecture. “The kids were cute and timid. Seeing foreigners, they buried their faces in the bosoms of their parents. The villagers were honest and friendly. They were always smiling, although communication was not very smooth due to linguistic barrier,” said Andy. “Someone suggested that villagers perform the Yi Left Foot Dance, but they were too shy to move. However, when the music was played, the villagers involuntarily began dancing and we joined them. Soon, we were dancing hand in hand.” The whole village was turned into a melting pot. Andy realised that art is borderless and goes beyond nations.

To date, Andy has been working and living in Yunnan for ten years, and he has travelled to almost all cities and prefectures in Yunnan. He admitted to us that his musical life is not as easy as it sounds. Today, he is not as energetic as before. He is considering returning home and stay-ing there for a few years. Meanwhile, he wants to tell of his experiences in Yunnan to more Americans. Yunnan is opening wider and the business environment in Kunming continues to improve. However, due to cultural differences, Andy still finds it difficult for foreign musicians to seek employment in Yunnan. Andy told us that he is deeply in love with this magical land of Yunnan. The mountains and water as well as ethnic cultures here will never fade away from his mind.

Andys musical life in Yunnan

Andy is a professional drummer from San Francisco, but he became emotionally attached to China a long time ago. During childhood, he got to know many Chinese people in San Franciscos Chinatown, and was introduced to Chinese culture. He learned from his father that the railway line running across North America was inseparable from the hard work of Chinese builders. He looked forward to coming to China ever since. Andy loves rock n roll and lives an ac-tive life. After graduation from high school, he did not go to university like most of his classmates. Instead, he came to Kunming with a few friends and set up a musical band in the style of The Eagles. They performed on Nanping Street and were happily immersed in the world of music. It was around 1999 and those were passionate days. We worried about nothing and earned a good income for our performances, Andy recalled. However, two of his friends left Kun-ming after less than a year and the band broke up. Andy stayed in Kunming and formed a new band, but he did not cooperate as well with the other members as he had with those in the original band. It was an unstable situation. Later, Andy joined a tour of Yunnan organised by Yunnan Television. At that time, Yunnan Television was recruiting foreigners engaged in the entertaining cycle in Kunming to produce a promotional video because they wanted to introduce Yunnan to French people. Andy joined the film crew without hesitation. On the bus, we musicians from different countries sang all the way. We travelled to Chuxiong, Lijiang and other major attractions in Yunnan and put all our hearts into our performances. We worked happily and enjoyed ourselves, Andy said with an intoxicated expression. Andy still remembers his experience in a Yi ethnic village in Dayao County, Chuxiong Prefecture. The kids were cute and timid. Seeing foreigners, they buried their faces in the bosoms of their parents. The villagers were honest and friendly. They were always smiling, although communication was not very smooth due to linguistic barrier, said Andy. Someone suggested that villagers perform the Yi Left Foot Dance, but they were too shy to move. However, when the music was played, the villagers involuntarily began dancing and we joined them. Soon, we were dancing hand in hand. The whole village was turned into a melting pot. Andy realised that art is borderless and goes beyond nations. To date, Andy has been working and living in Yunnan for ten years, and he has travelled to almost all cities and prefectures in Yunnan. He admitted to us that his musical life is not as easy as it sounds. Today, he is not as energetic as before. He is considering returning home and stay-ing there for a few years. Meanwhile, he wants to tell of his experiences in Yunnan to more Americans. Yunnan is opening wider and the business environment in Kunming continues to improve. However, due to cultural differences, Andy still finds it difficult for foreign musicians to seek employment in Yunnan. Andy told us that he is deeply in love with this magical land of Yunnan. The mountains and water as well as ethnic cultures here will never fade away from his mind.