The epic dance-drama "Searching for Shangri-la" has been a major hit around China since it debuted earlier this year. It's brought fame to lead dancer and choreographer Yang Liping, but credit for its success also goes to celebrated composer San Bao, whose rhythmic compositions accompany the exciting dance.

36-year-old San Bao is an extremely productive composer whose catalogue numbers more than a thousand musical works! Most of his music was written for TV series and films. 

San Bao was born into a family of musicians in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. He started playing violin at the age of four and piano at 11. During the 1980s, he entered the renowned Central Music Conservatory and studied conducting.

Before becoming a freelance musician in 1997, San Bao worked for a number of symphony orchestras, including the orchestras in Wuhan and Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region as well as the famous Central Ballet Symphony Orchestra and the China National Symphony Orchestra.

San Bao writes in a wide range of styles, and his works are always unpredictable. Sometimes classical, and at other times in folk and pop styles, you can find lots of different influences in his compositions.

"Paradise Lost" was the first Chinese TV series to deal with AIDS and people suffering from the disease. It follows the life of a successful businessman who becomes HIV' after receiving a blood transfusion. His career, his family and his relations with friends are all affected by the accident, and the director of the series invited famous actors and actresses to make the series. San Bao was invited to write the music for the series.

Besides writing music for the TV series "Paradise Lost", San Bao also composed and wrote the theme song for the play. The song goes; "A happy face, a sound night's sleep, I used to have these so easy, but suddenly I was told that the color of my life is turning black with the endless night." Yang Kun, who sang the song, became well known about a year ago, and his hoarse voice and emotional performances have established him as an up and coming star on the Chinese pop scene.

San Bao describes himself as a pessimist, and most of his works are colored with traces of sadness. Even when he wrote a piece for the light comedy series "My Father Hong Qi", this characteristic still came through. The play features the simple but colorful life of an insurance salesman Hong Qi. The song: "I want to fly high as a bird, I want to run on the rainbow; sometimes, tears come with laughter, but I always believe laughing is better than crying."

Next up is the theme song for the TV series "Let Love Come Back". The play depicts the story of an adopted daughter and her beloved father. Again, San Bao composed all the music in the play, and people are especially impressive with the theme song, which is performed by the young singer Zou Rui.

Although San Bao has a solid fan base in domestic music circles and almost all of his compositions become hits, his works seldom win awards. San Bao says he cares little about prizes, and says his biggest dream is to write an opera.

Online listening: several songs composed by San Bao 

Hold My Hand Tightly(the theme song San Bao wrote for the TV series "Paradise Lost", sung by Dou Peng.)

Be There or Be Square (the theme song for Feng Xiaogang's Be There or Be Square, sung by Sun Nan)

Idiot (the theme song to the film Big Shot's Funeral, sung by Hong Kong singer Faye Wong)

audio source: sanbao.net.cn

(CRI July 2, 2004)