>Sunbird Chronicle Three: The unpredictable musical life of a computer doctor—Huang Guangli meets with his heart

Sunbird Chronicle Three: The unpredictable musical life of a computer doctor—Huang Guangli meets with his heart (Editor's note) After studying hard for more than 20 years, he finally became a Taiwanese...

(Editor's note) After studying hard for more than 20 years, he finally became a doctoral student in the Department of Computer Science at Tsinghua University in Taiwan. However, in the second year of his Ph.D., he decided to give up his Ph.D. in computer science and devote himself entirely to the study of music. What made him make such a choice? In this issue of "Sunbird Chronicle" Huang Guangli shares this special experience with you.

>Huang Guangli

(Sunbird reporter Mu Xiang reported) Slender figure, restrained and elegant temperament, this is the impression that Huang Guangli left on us when we first saw Huang Guangli playing piano music for us at a tea culture lecture held by Sunbird. Born in the late 1970s, he is almost the same age as me. People of this era are more willing to challenge themselves and have the courage to create their own rich lives along with various social and cultural changes as they grow up. Huang Guangli is actually a PhD candidate in piano in the ASU Music Department. In his spare time, he teaches piano to his friends. Ordinary people always have a beautiful yearning and infinite admiration for art, but in a foreign land, embarking on the road of art is not smooth. It requires incomparable courage and determination to overcome extremely difficult difficulties. Curiosity prompted us to want to know how such a seemingly unassuming and bookish man persisted on this rugged road to this day.

>Huang Guangli’s life moments

>Just like many people who have learned piano since childhood, Huang Guangli started practicing piano at the age of 7 and has been practicing for 6 years. Like many people who were forced to give up developing piano as a major due to real learning pressure, when he was in the sixth grade of elementary school, he shifted the focus of his studies to the pressure of entering higher schools. After going to junior high school, high school, and university, I chose the Department of Electrical Engineering in the direction that my family expected. After that, I went on to get a master's degree and a Ph.D. in the Department of Computer Science at National Tsinghua University. However, everyone who has experienced the influence and baptism of music in childhood may understand that regardless of whether they can become musicians in the future, the instruments they have learned have become an indispensable part of their lives. It was a holy land and a source of purity in their hearts. It had penetrated into their lives silently. That kind of artistic tension, although occasionally suppressed, will burst out strongly as long as the time and conditions allow. This is exactly the case for Huang Guangli. After graduating from college, when the pressure to further his education no longer loomed, he began to review the piano again in his spare time, which he had not been close to for many years. At that time, due to some kind of fate, Huang Guangli met one of his mentors. It was the appearance of this mentor that opened a door for him to embark on the road of music again.

Although he has a good foundation in childhood, it has been neglected for many years and it is not easy to pick it up again. Compared with people who have studied music all the way, Huang Guangli lacks the accumulation of many years and has one more gap than others. However, due to his persistent belief and unparalleled enthusiasm for music, and with the help of his mentor, Huang Guangli combined and interpreted his musical talent and logical thinking in science and engineering into his piano performance, forming a unique understanding. Relying on the support of this belief, in the second year of studying for a PhD in computer science at Tsinghua University in Taiwan, he was admitted to the Master of Music at Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan.

"Actually, I chose to study for a doctoral degree at Tsinghua University because I liked the platform piano (grand piano) in that school." Huang Guangli's voice revealed an unshakable persistence. What seemed like such a small reason to others became the biggest motivation for him to choose a school. It is believed that even under the pressure of going with the crowd, his subconscious passion for music and piano could not be drowned.

"So, what made you finally decide to give up studying computer science, which you have studied for many years, and instead seek to study music again?" After Huang Guangli was admitted to the master's degree in music, he resolutely chose to give up his doctorate in computer science and start another new and familiar life track.

" Maybe I am tired of following a predictable life path. Although this kind of life may be more fulfilling materially, I have personally seen many of my former colleagues who have high salaries but work overtime until late at night every day. In my opinion, life is not something to be envied. "

" In that case, you prefer a life that is unpredictable, provides you with challenges and has fulfilling spiritual enjoyment? "

" Yes.

"But the path of music is not easy. While you are enjoying a rich spiritual life, are you aware of the real survival pressure you will face in the future? Moreover, your family also supports you in making such a choice? Giving up the foreseeable abundant and stable material life?" I raised the question in my mind.

Huang Guangli smiled faintly: "My family also has no choice but to support me. Because of my persistence, there will definitely be pressure to survive in the future, but I have no regrets."

Huang Guangli said that he loves music and education. He hopes to convey his understanding of music and his experience of returning to art to people who also want to learn music. The next plan is to publish a book to teach everyone how to appreciate piano performance and how pianists perfectly combine inner feelings and specific gestures into pieces of music. In addition, with many years of engineering background, he is also studying recording engineering on his own. Of course, he still has to complete a doctorate in piano.

Farewell, Huang Guangli used his unique insights into music to play a beautiful piano piece for us. Watching the powerful fingers flying on the black and white keys, sometimes jumping fingers, sometimes melodious arms, and listening to the mellow and sometimes tender sound of the piano, we believe that he is really using his passion for music to compose his love for life. The famous Austrian composer Mozart once said, "If love is a kind of power, then music is a kind of motivation." It was the motivation of music that made Huang Guangli choose to create a new life for himself. Sometimes, this is life, some people choose a comfortable and stable life, and some people choose a passionate and challenging life.

"Sunbird Chronicle": At a certain time, in a certain space, we are here in Arizona, USA. Some people stayed and some returned from overseas. At the intersection of time and space, there are many stories composed of minutes and seconds. In the "Sunbird Chronicles" published by the Sunbird Asia Chinese website, we see Zhang Zhaohong, Qi Ruhong, Wen Ruo, Huiming, Fengming, Xinshui and many other old overseas Chinese recording their lives in words. First of all, we would like to thank them for their records, which allow us to see the growth footprints of a generation of immigrants. In Phoenix, there are also some new immigrants who are busy in the high-tech district, as well as international students who come to study. They come here with the aura of Chinese people born in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. The life changes and choices they face are happening now. "Sunbird Asia Chinese Network" hopes to record these and mobilize the power of interviews to record the stories in this time and space. If you have interesting people or interesting stories around you, please contact us and share "Sunbird Chronicles" together.