In 1987, the 29-year-old Chinese tenor amazed the world by winning the prestigious Cardiff Singer of the World Competition in Britain.

Western critics could not believe the "tenor who has a voice as charming as those of Pavarotti and the legendary Beniamino Gigli," as hailed by BBC, came from China and had never been to Italy to receive training from a vocal master.

Placido Domingo praised him as a "rarely marvelous tenor...in recent decades."

However, he has been absent from the home stage since he left the country to further his study and perform abroad in December 1988.

Although Fan almost become a forgotten name to many of today's vocal fans in China, stories about his career abroad would often be heard.

"I know, in China, those who know me still wait for me and expect my concert. Now, I come back finally," said Fan.

At the concert at the Poly Theater tomorrow night, Fan will sing 14 pieces, including arias from operas, Chinese and Western lyric songs and songs selected from musicals.

Early Learning

Born to a family of music lovers in Xichang, in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, Fan touched upon Western classic music when he was just four, listening to the old albums that his father, Fan Wujiang, bought. The works included Beethoven's symphonies and opera arias sung by Enrico Caruso and Gigli.

"I had no idea what the foreigners were singing at that time. But I was really fascinated by their strangely loud voices and liked to imitate them," Fan recalls.

Brought up in an artistic atmosphere, Fan also learned to play the violin and paint with his father, a teacher of Russian at the local high school.

"His interest in painting was even greater than music when he got instructions from some local artists," Fan's father said.

At the age of 17, Fan became one of the millions of the youngsters sent to the countryside for re-education during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76).

But he did not give up music and made a violin by himself.

"When night was falling, I played the violin in the field, looking upon the potatoes as my audiences," Fan said.

In his spare time, he also liked to go to the mountains and farmland to draw pictures.

After 10 years of turmoil, the national college entrance examination resumed in 1977. Fan applied for both the Sichuan Conservatory of Music and Sichuan Fine Arts College.

More interested in painting at that time, Fan brought piles of his drawings to teachers at the fine arts college. Though his pictures impressed the teachers, he was not among the best applicants.

As a contrast, his talent in singing amazed Lan Youqing, teacher from the conservatory who later became his first vocal instructor.

"You are more talented in singing than painting, though it seems you are more interested in painting than singing now," Fan says Lan told him.

Lan persuaded him: "The conservatory would only enroll one student here. If you give up learning drawing and apply for the conservatory, you would be the only student."

Thus, Fan finally became the only student from Xichang, his hometown, at the Sichuan conservatory.

Four years later, he graduated from the conservatory with an excellent credit and was asked to stay on as a vocal teacher.

For a while after graduation, Fan felt he was stagnating and could not improve his voice.

"I felt frustrated and turned my concentration to other things, making friends, reading philosophy books and painting. Unexpectedly, all these brought me new inspiration," he said.

"I soon realized that a good voice comes not only from interest and hard training. A good voice is refined from an overall artistic sense. For instance, philosophy could not teach you how to produce a beautiful voice directly, but it could cultivate a thoughtful mind which helps to improve your overall artistic achievement," he said.

His talent and efforts were rewarded. In 1984, Fan participated in the First National TV Competition for Young Singers and won the second prize with a song called I Love You, China.

Before long, the Sichuan conservatory sent Fan to Beijing to further his study at the Central Conservatory of Music for a year. During the time, Shen Xiang, a renowned vocal professor with the conservatory, decided to give Fan personal training for another year. Shen, now deceased, was moved by Fan's devotion to study.

It was Shen who gave him further systematical training and helped him become the singer of the world in 1987.

New Stage

Fan's stage life started in 1988. That year, he was invited to Macao to perform Alfredo in Verdi's La Traviata with renowned Romanian soprano Ileana Cotrubas starring Violetta.

In order to leave her best image and voice in people's minds, Cotrubas left the stage the next year when she was 50 years old. Fan became the only Chinese tenor she collaborated with.

Fan's wonderful performance won a "bravo" from Cotrubas as well as the audiences' heart. The president of Portugal and his wife went back stage to congratulate him and invited him to perform La Traviata in Lisbon.

The show featuring many world-renowned opera masters was to raise funds to rebuild the prestigious Sao Carlos Opera House, which had been destroyed.

The successful charity performance started Fan's career abroad. From Lisbon he flew to Italy where he refined his bel canto technique under the guidance of Carlo Bergonzi.

After he was invited to give a recital concert at the New Port Music Festival in Rhode Island in the United States in 1990, Fan got a scholarship from the Juilliard School of Music with Daniel Ferro.

Since 1994, he has also studied with famed Italian tenor Franco Corelli. A baritone-turned tenor, Fan's voice was of limited range and it was only after he trained under the direction of Corelli, who is also baritone-turned tenor, that he was able to reach his high C with any security.

He soon came to international attention as a prize-winner of the Rosa Ponselle International Vocal Competition, New York Vocal Competition of Opera Highlights and Pavarotti International Vocal Competition.

"As a tenor, Fan excels not only in his voice but his vivid operatic interpretation which is true to original flavour," said Li Jinwei, Shen's wife, who also gave Fan classes when he was at the Central Conservatory of Music.

Zhao Shimin, a Beijing-based classical music critic, shares her view.

Zhao, who has known Fan since the 1980s, said: "He has an aptitude in language. He could sing in Italian, French, German, Spanish and Russian like a native of these countries."

Admitting his talent in languages was influenced by his father, who taught him Russian when he was very young, Fan attributes most of his ability to hard work.

"Whenever I prepare for a role in an opera, I first spend a long time learning the language carefully," he said.

"Actually, the first instruction master Bergonzi told me was to read Italian."

Bergonzi told him simply imitating the pronunciation of another language was a bad way to perform as the libretto has meanings, which develops the plot. Only when the singer really understands what is happening in the opera and of the characters can they sing an aria in the right mood and move audiences.

Fan has memorized Bergonzi's instruction and worked hard at it.

Fan has covered a wide repertoire, such as Faust in Faust (Germany), Lenski in Eugene Onegin (Russian), Tamino in Magic Flute (Germany) and Don Jos in Carmen (French).

Now Fan has performed all over the world in opera and concert, where he has delighted audiences with his beautiful voice and truthful and vivid characterizations.

"What a godsend to see Fan returning to Beijing," said Li, overjoyed at the unexpected news.

"Fan is lucky to follow so many celebrated vocal masters in his career, but he also paid by his hard work.”

“I feel proud of him and expect to attend his concert. I believe my husband would have been proud, too."

(China Daily November 13, 2002)