16 | Thursday, July 15, 2021 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY LIFE Egyptian scientist finds a rewarding life in Xinjiang URUMQI — For Osama Abdalla Abdelshafy Mohamed, an Egyp- tian scientist who has been living in Northwest China’s Xinjiang I can say that, as a Uygur autonomous region for more than four years, one thing scientist, I am made has long remained largely in China, because unchanged. “My first impression of Xinjiang Chinese professors is also the lasting impression,” says and classmates have Osama, who describes the western taught me how to do Chinese region as a safe, beautiful, diverse and hospitable place. high-quality As a researcher at the State Key research and build Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology of the Xinjiang Institute my scientific career.” of Ecology and Geography, or Osama Abdalla Abdelshafy XIEG, of the Chinese Academy of Mohamed, Egyptian scientist Science, Osama began his ties with Xinjiang in 2014. Li Li, a classmate of Osama dur- structure improvement in the city ing his four-year doctoral study at he lives in. Northwest A&F University in “When I first came to Urumqi, it Shaanxi province, introduced him was just the Rapid Bus Transit. to both Professor Li Wenjun, the Now we have the subway and you group leader of the laboratory of can see that Urumqi is extending Extreme Environmental Microbi- everywhere, with many new build- Tang Shengsheng (center) performs with the Amne Machin music group from Golog at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music Opera ology, and to a fellowship research ings,” he says. House. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY project called the Talented Young Osama has visited many places Scientist program at the Xinjiang in Xinjiang and now considers institute. himself a local. He feels like a Osama had no idea about Xinji- member of Ma’s big family in ang at the time. He researched it Tacheng, which he has visited sev- online, only to find many sensa- eral times. tional reports from several foreign During the COVID-19 outbreak news organizations. A little wor- in early 2020, Osama was in Egypt Music that takes the ried, Osama contacted Li’s hus- and felt that he should do some- band Ma Jinbiao, also his thing to help. He donated 2,000 classmate. yuan ($309) to hospitals in Ma was born and raised in Wuhan, the hardest hit city at that Tacheng, a picturesque region in time. north Xinjiang known for its eth- He says his help was nothing nic diversity. “He told me that compared to the support he has high ground these reports were not factual, and received from China over the past they live in good conditions and decade. “I can say that, as a scien- (have) a happy life in Xinjiang,” tist, I am made in China, because says Osama. “Of course I chose to Chinese professors and classmates Melodies from Tibetan plateau and unusual instruments provide believe my friend.” have taught me how to do high- Osama’s choice proved to be the quality research and build my sci- an enchanting experience, Zhang Kun reports in Shanghai. right one. When he came to Xinji- entific career.” ang in October 2014, his first Osama has produced a series of he sound of music from the Heping is glad that he could share impression was that it was “quite a meaningful scientific results dur- Tibetan plateau captivated the Tibetan songs and melodies normal place”. ing his time at the XIEG. He the concert audience at the with musicians from Shanghai, and “I didn’t feel anything strange,” co-published 36 SCI research arti- Shanghai Conservatory of even happier to find that people are says Osama, adding that he enjoys cles, two book chapters and a book TMusic Opera House on July 3. interested in the music and instru- the local life, including diverse cul- under the guidance of his supervi- Presented by the Song and Dance ments. tures and easy access to different sor Li Wenjun, and received the Troupe from the Golog Tibetan “Even when we were rehearsing, kinds of halal food. International Partnership Award autonomous prefecture of North- someone came up to me, asking me Xinjiang is one of the most eth- for Young Scientists of the Chinese west China’s Qinghai province, to teach them to play the niujiao- nically diverse regions in China. Academy of Sciences in 2019. together with musicians from the qin,” says the Tibetan artist. People here enjoy the freedom to In May, Osama received the SCM, the concert was the fruit of the After the premiere, he became speak their own language, Osama Tianshan Award, the top honor for conservatory’s cultural assistance to more confident, saying, “I could says. “Wherever you turn on the foreigners living in Xinjiang in rec- Golog, the source of the Yellow Riv- maybe even take my music to other TV or radio in Xinjiang, you can ognition of their contributions to er. countries.” find many channels showing pro- the region’s development. It was not just the music that was Golog is located in the heart of grams in the local ethnic lan- As an associate professor at of interest, but the instruments as the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, at an guage.” Egypt’s Arish University, Osama is well. A 56-year-old Tibetan artist, altitude of more than 4,000 meters. So he didn’t believe all the West- seeking to establish long-term whose name in Mandarin means In order to work with local musi- ern news on Xinjiang, and he still cooperation between his universi- peace, introduced his two-stringed cians and create the ensemble does not believe it, he says. “It is ty and CAS, including his dream of instrument to those attending. With piece, Tang made four trips there fake.” setting up a joint lab center at an ox head on top, the sound box at over the past year, staying a few Despite ethnic differences, Arish University under the frame- the bottom was made from ox horn weeks each time. Osama feels that “all these people work of the Belt and Road Initia- and covered with lambskin, and its “At first we, from Shanghai, could are united together to work for a tive. strings were made of horse-tail hair. not adjust to the high altitude, and better life’’. He says life in Xinjiang Talking about his future plans, “We used to play music on the pas- had trouble falling asleep,” Liu says. is changing for the better as the Osama says: “Now, and without ture, and folklore has it that the ani- It was no easy job collaborating central and local governments try any doubt, I can say I wish to live in mals would be touched by the with ethnic musicians. their best to facilitate good condi- Xinjiang for more than 10 years.” music,” he says. “Back at home, they were used to tions for local people. Today few people can play that singing and playing the instrument Osama has noticed rapid infra- XINHUA music, and even fewer can make the at the same time,” Tang says. “It was instrument known as niujiaoqin, or usually a one-person show. For me, ox horn fiddle. It is recognized as an the challenge was to identify the item of Golog’s intangible cultural characteristic of each instrument heritage, and Peace, or Heping as he and create an ensemble of balance Farmers form table is called by musicians from the and beauty.” SCM, is an official inheritor. The ethnic musicians could not Tang Shengsheng, a composer read music scores, as they hadn’t and music teacher with the SCM, been formally trained. tennis association was fascinated with the folk music “But they all have great intuition in Golog, and decided to adapt her for music,” Tang says. “We impro- XI’AN — A farmers’ table tennis filled his dream of playing table previous creation, a piece on the vised during the rehearsal, and association was officially founded tennis against former world cham- piano named Origin of the Yellow Tang Shengsheng from Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and when I was away we listened to the in Qishan county, Northwest Chi- pion Qi Baoxiang in November River, for the local instruments. She Heping, a Tibetan musician from Golog, with a niujiaoqin in his recordings and practiced from our na’s Shaanxi province. 2020. The second encounter brought together Heping and 11 oth- hands, talk about how they make music together. audio records.” At the Qishan County Farmers between them took place at the er musicians from the Golog Song PHOTO BY ZHANG KUN / CHINA DAILY The SCM, established in 1927, was Table Tennis Association’s found- Friday ceremony, and, again, Qi and Dance Troupe, who play tradi- the first professional music school ing ceremony on Friday, Lei Jun, came out the victor. tional folk instruments, including a in China. “The school has always vice-president of the Chinese Table “What impressed me the most is flute made of the bone from the was in attendance at the SCM Opera to Golog, alongside academics and emphasized China’s national musi- Tennis Association, or CTTA, his perseverance. He has lots of eagle’s wing, the Tibetan Dharma House on July 3. experts across a wide range of fields, cal heritage,” Hou says. encouraged farmers across the farming work to do each day but Drums, which have a history dating The concert also consisted of tra- such as medicine, agriculture and Since the very beginning, the country to stay physically and never gives up practicing table back to the ninth century, and a ditional songs and dances from the the arts.