Charlie Wardle performing with the Pagoda Chinese Youth Orchestra in the Morecambe Festival 2005.
Mr Li Kui Hsuing was a composer, educator, and cultural practitioner whose work made a significant contribution to the development of Chinese music in both China and the United Kingdom. He graduated in Chinese Music and Composition from the GuangDong Music Conservatory (now the Xinghai Music Conservatory) and held professional posts at the Pearl River Film Production Studio and the GuangDong Chinese Symphonic Orchestra, where he served as Principal of the wind section and was engaged in composition, conducting, and instrumental reform.
In 1973, his composition Joy of Harvest was recognised by the Chinese Ministry of Culture and remains cited in academic literature as an example of Cantonese musical reform. After relocating to Liverpool in 1980, Mr Li founded the Pagoda Chinese Youth Orchestra, leading performances at major UK venues including the Royal Albert Hall School Proms (1988) and internationally at the Shanghai World Expo with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
A key aspect of Mr Li’s legacy lies in his contribution to Chinese instrumental development. In collaboration with the Liverpool Youth Music Project, he led the creation of the Da Hu, a Chinese bass string instrument designed to address the absence of low-register strings in traditional Chinese orchestration, a role often filled by the Western cello. He also developed methods to extend the lower range of existing Chinese string instruments, including the Gao Hu, effectively expanding its range by an octave and aligning it more closely with the violin. These innovations significantly enhanced the structural balance and expressive capacity of the Chinese orchestra.
