Steve Connor. In the field of contemporary music, Steve Connor is a representative of creative and innovative British composers. She often combines modern music with British classical music and folk songs, creating charming pieces that connect the past and present, and occupying a place in the composition industry. She also teaches music composition and folk songs at York University. During her youth, Steve followed her school on a tour to China, learning Chinese pronunciation and singing Chinese songs. Her study of Chinese also laid the foundation for her later music creation. At the 9th Cambridge Xu Zhimo Poetry and Art Festival held in Cambridge, UK in the autumn of 2023, Stauff was invited to compose music for the representative work of the famous Chinese poet Xu Zhimo, "Go ahead", and create it for the second time. She creates melodies based on the pronunciation of the original Chinese poetry and sings in both Chinese and English, harmoniously and cleverly blending Eastern sentiments with Western classical music. With outstanding performance, Stefan also won the Xu Zhimo Music Award. In this interview with People's Daily Online, Steve took us on her music journey, discussing her Chinese music background, insights into music creation, and expectations for future cross-cultural music cooperation. People's Daily Online: You have been to China since you were very young. Can you talk about your memories? Steve Connor: When I first went to China, I was still a teenager. At that time, students in our school had the opportunity to study Chinese in Shanghai. We have three weeks of time, and we have Chinese classes every day. It was a wonderful experience and a cultural shock. Many students who participated in that trip later studied Chinese in college. Later, when I was a graduate student at York University, we had a great collaboration with the famous conductor Zhu Buxi, which gave us a valuable opportunity to go on a tour to China. Zhu Buxi served as the conductor of the orchestra, and we toured many cities in China. Steve Connor. Pan Geng, People's Daily Online: Have you ever felt the differences between different cities in China? Steve Connor: I hope to have more time on the road when I'm in China, because China is very big. I really like the northwest region of China, where the food is very interesting, and the smell of wood and incense in temples is also very interesting. I still remember we went to Hangzhou and saw beautiful lakes and tourist attractions. Every city has its own unique characteristics, different atmosphere, and different people. I remember many moments that made me overjoyed. People's Daily: Which city in China has a deeper impression? Steve Connor: The experience in Wuhan was unforgettable. We went to the Hubei Provincial Museum and saw the bronze bell of the 5th century BC - the Bianzhong of Zeng Houyi. The excavation of this set of chimes has rewritten the history of world music. It is taller than I imagined, standing in front of it is like standing in front of a high wall. The history of Wuhan is really inspiring. Our teachers are all from Wuhan. They take us on a trip to China and help us practice correcting the pronunciation of songs. People's Daily: What Chinese songs do you sing? Steve Connor: We have sung about seven or eight Chinese songs, and the ones we sing the most and learn the best are