Erhu masterpiece: Sigh of Ailmen

Sigh of Ailmen is an erhu piece composed by modern Chinese musician Liu Tianhua (1895-1932) from Jiangyin, a county-level city of Wuxi in Jiangsu province, marking his debut in musical composition.

Set against the backdrop of the May Fourth Movement in 1919, this musical piece reflects the inner struggle of intellectuals. Despite their discontent with the social order in those tumultuous times, they clung to lofty ideals, exalting their resilience in the face of imperialism and feudalism, the entrenched powers of their time.