Author: Maurice Lee
I have never seen a lady like Yao Jue (姚珏) having that many multifaceted personalities. She can be elegant, serious, dejected, cheerful, whining, corky and bubbly. An artist is nothing without the personality, but the personality is nothing without quality. She is always one of the kind—with her confidence, talent and faith. I have known this international violinist for more than 15 years.
She had stupefying stories. Friends talked about a person that everyone in Hong Kong knew. She would innocently ask, “Who is he?” After a meeting, she came to me, “I really wanted to say XYZ in the meeting but the thoughts rang my bell when the topic was over.” She told me, “People laugh at my Shanghainese accent but it is all my fault. I should fit into Hong Kong and not vice versa!” She is another amusing Hollywood actress Goldie Hawn!
Yao Jue said, “I was born in Shanghai in the 1960s when the city was not redeveloped. My father was an orchestra conductor and my mother was a doctor. I played music, piano and violin, and started performing when I was 7. In my teens, I moved to live and study in America. My university was The Juilliard School of New York. When about 30, I found the love of my life in Hong Kong. I settled down here and had a family in Hong Kong in 1997.”
I asked her, “How do you feel?” She cackled, “I could sometimes get confused with my multi-cultural background. I am like an action movie produced by different directors, containing ideas and thoughts from different stages of my past, where each scene explains itself. Now, things are better as Hong Kong, after having been with me for 25 years, is my comfortable, safe and secure home. My elder daughter is 23 and working. My younger girl is in college. I stopped playing violin publicly for almost 7 years because taking care of my kids was a top priority. I am currently active again and will be happy with a lot of stress at performing work again.”
I made a joke, “How did the 3 human zoos of Shanghai, New York and Hong Kong impinge on your art?” She pondered, “When I lived in these 3 cities, I could feel the dreams and love of the people who contributed to each city. Their cities were more than a place in space. It was a Xanadu of their style and pride. As far as a musician is concerned, I learnt discipline in Shanghai. For New York, the word ‘creativity’ is always connected to me. Hong Kong artists put much emphasis on social responsibility, relevance and resonance. In 2013, I established Hong Kong String Orchestra (香港弦樂團) to promote Chinese and Hong Kong cultures. As far as a woman is concerned, elegance is the benchmark of success for a lady in Shanghai. In New York, ‘a mind is like a parachute. It doesn’t work if it is not open’. Hong Kong women are characterized more by self-assertion and financial independence. It is a rare gift for me to stand possessed of the colourful souls of 3 cities. But, I do love Hong Kong more. It did not only change my life. It gave me a new life.”
I put it to her subtly, “Do people in Hong Kong treat you differently when they notice your name is spelt as Yao Jue in Mandarin instead of Yiu Kok in Cantonese when Cantonese people are the majority here?” She winked at me, “Do you? Actually, most people treat me as an ordinary Hongkonger. Hong Kong is culturally a melting pot where ‘East meets West’ took place more than 100 years ago. People from different cultures and backgrounds ‘melt’ at great heat and we always produce a new compound, one that has greater strength and many combined advantages from the Chinese Mainland, Asia and western countries. Our Cantopop music is already a good example of the diversity and tolerability.” I commented, “Some said a melting pot is the process of cultural assimilation plus integration.”
I asked Yao Jue, “How would you describe yourself as an artist?” She gave me a confident answer, “I like to be involved in new things and to experience and understand life. I want to develop an interesting life with stories, and use music to share my stories and feelings emotionally with audience. Music is about love and connection.”
For me, music may be about no love…but in search of a connection. Yao Jue, like her music, always keeps her face to the sun and the sunshine is like powdered gold all over her charming face. Yao Jue consists gracefully of resonant woods, ebony fingerboard, sensitive pegs, premium strings and an astonishing tone. But, suddenly, she dampened my spirits, “Sorry! I have to leave. Time for mom to buy food for my family!”
