Isn’t it remarkable how a person’s life can echo through time? The Xian Xinghai Memorial Museum stands as a testament to one such life, a Macao-born composer named Xian Xinghai. He lived from 1905 to 1945.
The Xian Xinghai Memorial Museum is on Avenida do Coronel Mesquita. This mint-colored villa is more than just a pretty building. It is part of a plan to make Mong-Ha area into a cultural hub. The museum celebrates Xian’s life and work across two floors.
Xian Xinghai was known as the People’s Composer. His most famous work is Yellow River Cantata from 1939. He created it with poet Guang Weiran. The poem and the music were to encourage people to fight against enemies during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Xian also wrote many other patriotic pieces. These earned him praise from leaders in both mainland China and Macao.
Xian was born into a poor family that lived on boats. They were part of the Tanka community. These boat people moved around southern China’s rivers and coasts. Xian’s mother named him Xinghai meaning the stars and the sea. This was because he was born on a boat in the middle of the night.
Growing up poor had a big impact on Xian. His mother sang folk songs and told him about life at the piers. Xian wrote a Cantonese song called Tough it Out. It was inspired by his mother and their hard life. The museum shows a statue of Xian’s mother holding him as a baby. It was made by local artist Wong Ka Long. There is also a life-size statue of Xian in the museum’s garden.
Xian’s early life was nomadic. He lived in Macao with his mother and grandfather. Later, he moved to Singapore and then to Guangzhou. He studied music in Peking and Shanghai. In 1934, he went to Paris to study with Paul Dukas. He specialized in classical music and composed many pieces.
Upon returning to China in 1935, Xian became involved in patriotic activities. He wrote music for films and plays to promote patriotism. In 1939, he became the dean of the music department at Lu Xun College of Art. There, he taught and wrote operas including Yellow River Cantata. In 1940, he went to the Soviet Union to work on a film score. He also wrote his first symphony called National Liberation.
The Xian Xinghai Memorial Museum hopes to highlight Xian’s life. Many people in Macao do not know much about him. The museum displays a copy of the Yellow River Cantata score. It also has Xian’s documents from France which list Macao as his birthplace.
The museum also features an autobiography that Xian wrote in 1940. It combines real and imagined details. There are also photos videos and oral histories. These were put together with help from Xian’s daughter Xian Nina.
The museum is just the start of a bigger project about Xian. Researchers will gather more information about his contributions during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Xian was a composer musician and teacher. He showed his love for his country through his music. His persistence is something we can all admire. The Xian Xinghai Memorial Museum celebrates his inspiring life.