Xian Xinghai was a very famous musician in China. He wrote one of the greatest pieces of music of the 20th century. In his short life he wrote1300 songs and an opera.
Xian was born in Macao, China in 1905. Because his father died before he was born, Xian moved from place2place with his mother. He began learning to play the3when he was 13 years old. In the beginning, his violin was4cheap and badly made that he5not play it well. His friends laughed at him. Xian did not stop6and soon showed his talent. In 1934, he was one of the first Chinese students7studied in a special music school in Paris. Before he8, Xian became the school's best student9won several prizes for his talents.
In 1935, he returned to China and helped fight against the Japanese army. Later, he came to Yan'an to10music at a college.11there were no pianos in Yan' an at that time, Xian still wrote12of his most important music there, including The Yellow River, his most famous work.
In May 1940, Xian was13to the Soviet Union by the Chinese Communist Party to write music for movies. In the Soviet Union, life was very14. Xian got sick and later died of a lung illness15October 30, 1945, aged only 40. Xian's music, however, lives on in the people's hearts.
