Ukrainian musician chases dream in northern Chinese village

Zhouwo village in north China’s Hebei province is a town of country music where western music flourishes on the local soil. In 2018, Alexander Sasha, a musician from Ukraine, came to Zhouwo to become a music teacher at an international art school.

Alexander Sasha (right) plays a saxophone together with a local villager in Zhouwo village, Wuqiang county, north China’s Hebei province. (Photo/Meng Weili)

“I fell in love with Zhouwo the minute I arrived here. There are professional music schools in Zhouwo and the environment is favorable for the development of the music industry,” said Sasha.

It has become a daily routine for the 37-year-old to teach at the school during the day and perform at local coffee shops at night. “The local villagers are music lovers. When I sang, they would follow the rhythm of the music, or join me by playing instruments,” Sasha expressed, saying that music is a major means of communication between him and local villagers.

Alexander Sasha (first from right) performs with local villagers in Zhouwo village, Wuqiang county, north China’s Hebei province. (Photo/Meng Weili)

“I would like to invite more friends of mine to visit Zhouwo when I’m about to go back to China one month later,” said Sasha, who is currently in his hometown. Wang Wei, a colleague of Sasha, said the song Jasmine Flower is Sasha’s favorite song in Chinese. “I expect to play the song together with him when he comes back to China,” Wang said.

Wuqiang county, which administers Zhouwo village, is a major production base for orchestral instruments in China. Currently, it has 63 companies making or processing musical instruments. The production of orchestral instruments in Wuqiang ranks first in the country and second worldwide, with the products being sold to 80 countries and regions around the world, according to the county’s publicity department.