KATHMANDU, Dec 30: China is rightly dubbed as the future of world business. With an ever inclining economy and diverse culture, the mega-nation on our northern borders has presented its capacity amidst the global mass. The entertainment business in itself is an entity that has opened gates for entertainers from all over the world.

Music, in recent times, has provided opportunities to a number of young men and women in China. With colorful lights and enthusiastic audience getting rocked to the beauty of music, China has always listed music and entertainment. Not only do people listen to music, some also travel to China with pursuit of becoming good musicians. They entertain people and are determined to take another big step in their music careers. 

Musicians from various countries travel to China. Kshitiz Singh is a musician who recently crossed the border to seek better opportunities in China. He says, “Chinese perceive Nepali musicians as creative and capable. However, we aren’t quite accustomed to presenting ourselves. It’s our only weakness.” Singh, alongside his band performs in ‘Liang Yuan Live Music Bar’ in Ninxia. The bar’s owner and a key music agent, Gao Jun is credited to introducing Nepali musicians in Ninxia. He has so far created opportunities for over 50 Nepali musicians in different cities of the Chinese province for the past five years. 

Sunil Pahadi is amongst the first set of Nepali bands introduced in China Jun. He states, “The pay rate in China exceeds the rates in Nepal. But we (Nepali) are paid less as compared to musicians of other nationalities. In China, live music is a business. But in Nepal, it’s not. In Nepal, we don’t care about proper attire, grooming and entertaining customers. But here, we should. We are not used to performing in formal get ups.  As a result, we fail to impress the bar owners and subsequently are paid less.” 

“Why China?” Sushan Shrestha thinks China has been an exploration in his career. Shrestha has been playing in China for 3 years. Answering to the question on his preference for China, he adds, “An artist’s skill is always reflected by the amalgamation of colors in his art. And as musicians, we always strive to explore new forms of music, which we can attain by connecting with the musicians from the diverse world. In today’s context, China is the go-to hub for musicians across the world. We get to meet musicians from different countries and cultures. This undoubtedly broadens our musical knowledge and encourages us to be better musicians.” Likewise, Susan Pahadi, another musician in China, says “We can get good music based jobs on a daily basis, here in China. Hereby, we can easily earn money to support ourselves.” 

Despite the fact that the musicians are paid better than that in Nepal, some musicians believe it’s hard to settle-in during the initial stage. Since majority of the Chinese people communicate in the local language, it gets tough to find someone who can speak English. This probably is the biggest drawback of going to China. Bikash Napit says, “Because of language barriers, it’s tough to adjust in the beginning. But after settling down, China is the best place where a musician wished to be.” Majority of the musicians think that China is the best place for musicians to play their gigs in. However, some also think of it as a place to learn during the early stages of their musical career. Susan Pahadi adds to it as a chance to understand the interest of the Chinese. “If somebody wants to learn more about music, China is their Paradise,” he adds. 

All musicians share mutual harmony and understanding. Also, aiding to the rapid growth in technology, communicating with friends and families back home is easy. Singh quipped, “I can’t speak on behalf of rest of the musicians, but I don’t really miss home for obvious reasons. Being surrounded by like-minded people has its own perks as well. We are a family away from home.  Beer is also cheap. So, I haven’t found any reason to cry about missing home yet.”