A British artist's "Sound Museum" in Beijing

Editor’s note: This year marks the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening-up, and huge changes have been made in Beijing, capital of China, over the past 40 years. We have invited 40 foreign experts to participate in a series of interviews named “New Era, New Insight” jointly hosted by GMW.cn（The official website of Guangming Daily） and the Information Office of Beijing Municipality and share their “Beijing Stories”.

My name is Colin Siyuan Chinnery, I am British. I'm an artist by profession and currently working on a project called "Sound Museum."

The first time I came to Beijing was in 1979, when I was only eight years old. I came to Beijing with my parents, my mother is Chinese. My father is British, he is also a Sinologist.

The old house of my family is in the Shijia Hutong, and now it has become the Shijia Hutong Museum. I was a member of the advisory group during the planning of the museum.

I think the theme of old Beijing is particularly interesting when it comes to sound. I began to think about the relationship between sound of Beijing and people and time.

With the relationship between history and culture, use sound to record the history of Beijing, looking at the present and past through new perspectives. I invited some British experimental musicians to experience the sound environment in Beijing. They said that they have never experienced such a good sound environment. They think that the sound environment in Beijing is the most interesting in the world. I took them to the Central Business District in Beijing. They will feel Beijing is the same as the rest of the world. I took them to the Tiantan Park and the Tianqiao Market, they were very inspired. There is no such sound environment in western countries. After the 1980s, the changes in Beijing have been very rapid. Cars have gradually replaced bicycles. A large number of wheels, chains and bells of bicycles form a theater of sound. Beijingers are particularly obsessed with the sounds, which is characteristic of the traditional culture of Beijing. Only Beijingers will put a whistle on the back of pigeons and set them flying. The pedlary in Beijing is the mostcolorful, and the melody is also the strongest. You know what he sells from a long distance, so you are ready to go out and buy

After reform and opening up began, the traditional pedlary is gradually gone In the 1990s, only non-local vendors were still peddling. That past culture of peddling was forever gone.

I am doing the project of disappearing sounds, and many Beijing traditional customs are still in existence. For example, pigeon whistle. And there are a variety of things to play with in the parks.

The two most common sounds in Beijing are the singing in the sky and camel bells on the ground.Each recording is a peculiar challenge for me. I have a very special emotional attachment to Beijing. I think Beijing is a very energetic city of boundless possibilities. I wish this city continues to be sonsy and continues to be blessed