BRUSSELS, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- As people in Wuhan, the epicenter of the new coronavirus (COVID-19), are battling the epidemic with the help foom home and abroad, a Belgian pianist composed a song to offer his support to the city of Wuhan.
"The night is going, the dawn is coming. The sky awakens with the chime of the bells. Cherry blossoms bloom in the warm spring breeze. Wuhan, we're waiting for you," says Jean-Francois Maljean, the composer, in Chinese in the clip of the song "Chime of the Dawn Bells".
"My goal is to encourage the medical professionals and the Chinese people and to raise awareness in the world, because the wheel is turning and it can happen to us," Maljean told Xinhua.
WUHAN BELLS
Maljean is no stranger to China. In 2010, he composed and performed "Our Songs", the theme song for the Belgian pavilion at Expo 2010 in Shanghai, with popular Chinese folk singer Shang Wenjie. He has also visited China several times for performances and cultural exchanges.
Ancient bronze bells from Hubei Province, of which Wuhan is the capital, are used in his song. "You may feel lonely now, but the world is with you. Be united, proud and brave," the lyrics go. The clip shows images of Wuhan before the virus appeared, as well as doctors and nurses who are on the front line fighting the coronavirus.
"The clip is dedicated to all the people who have contributed to the fight against the epidemic. Cheer up, Wuhan! Courage, China!" is what you hear at the end of the clip.
The son of a doctor, Maljean confessed to having great admiration for the health workers in China, who are "very courageous" in the face of this "highly contagious" and potentially fatal epidemic.
"You know, the wheel is turning. An epidemic can happen to us here too, and then we would be happy to be supported and encouraged by the rest of the world," said the musician.
Feeling "certain that China will win this fight" against COVID-19, Maljean said: "The Chinese are capable of doing exceptional things. I've seen it in every field."
CHINA CONNECTION
According to Maljean, the song is the result of an intense collaboration with Chinese producer Liu He (know as Kelvin Ho in the west), who lives in Wuhan and had been stuck in his room for fear of being contaminated.
"We talked and worked together for a fortnight to three weeks, despite a seven-hour time difference. This is the story and the genesis of our little song. It's not just me," said the pianist.
Around Feb. 11 the two managed to finalize the song, which also aimed to make people aware that there is no need for psychosis or phobia about this epidemic.
After its release, thank-you notes and recognitions poured in from Chinese netizens. "The reaction of Wuhan and the Chinese people touches me," he admitted.
Hubei Province is twinned with Wallonia in Belgium, said the musician, who went to China once with the Walloon mission. "I've always been attracted to China. I've been going to this country for 20 years, seven or eight times a year, 150 times...I think the Walloons, like the Flemish, have a very personal empathy for Wuhan," he said.
"Since the COVID-19 outbreak, the Asian community has been stigmatized. So you have to encourage people and not succumb to psychosis. (We have to) say to ourselves: tomorrow we might have an epidemic and it won't be funny if they run away from us," the composer explained.
Maljean has never hidden his ties with China. In 1999, his publisher managed to get his records out in Taiwan. "That's how it all started," he added.
"In the 20 to 30 years that I've been going there, China has been changing, opening up more and more to the western world, and the big difference is that there's an energy."
Impressed with Chinese people's willpower and hard work, Maljean said: "China is the second largest economy in the world. You'd have to be crazy not to be interested in China."
