The Most Famous
MUSICIANS from China
Top 7
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Chinese Musicians of all time. This list of famous Chinese Musicians is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Fou Ts'ong (1934 - 2020)
With an HPI of 52.89, Fou Ts'ong is the most famous Chinese Musician. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages on wikipedia.
Fou Ts'ong (Chinese: 傅聰; pinyin: Fù Cōng; 10 March 1934 – 28 December 2020) was a Chinese-born British pianist who was the first pianist of his national origin to achieve international recognition. He came to prominence after winning third prize and the Polish Radio Prize for the best performance of mazurkas in the 1955 V International Chopin Piano Competition, and remained particularly known as an interpreter of Chopin's music.
2. Lang Lang (1982 - )
With an HPI of 51.01, Lang Lang is the 2nd most famous Chinese Musician. His biography has been translated into 43 different languages.
Lang Lang (Chinese: 郎朗; pinyin: Láng Lǎng; born 14 June 1982) is a Chinese pianist who has performed with major orchestras around the world and appeared at many leading concert halls. Active since the 1990s, he was the first Chinese pianist to be engaged by the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic and many of the top American orchestras. A Chicago Tribune music critic called him "the biggest, most exciting young keyboard talent I have encountered in many a year of attending piano recitals." Lang is considered one of the most accomplished classical musicians of modern times by the United Nations.
3. Toshiko Akiyoshi (1929 - )
With an HPI of 50.83, Toshiko Akiyoshi is the 3rd most famous Chinese Musician. Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
Toshiko Akiyoshi (秋吉敏子 or 穐吉敏子, Akiyoshi Toshiko, born 12 December 1929) is an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and bandleader. Akiyoshi received fourteen Grammy Award nominations and was the first woman to win Best Arranger and Composer awards in Down Beat magazine's annual Readers' Poll. In 1984, she was the subject of the documentary Jazz Is My Native Language. In 1996, she published her autobiography, Life with Jazz, and in 2007 she was named an NEA Jazz Master by the U.S. National Endowment for the Arts.
4. Yuja Wang (1987 - )
With an HPI of 42.29, Yuja Wang is the 4th most famous Chinese Musician. Her biography has been translated into 24 different languages.
Yuja Wang (Chinese: 王羽佳; pinyin: Wáng Yǔjiā; born February 10, 1987) is a Chinese pianist. Born in Beijing, she began learning piano there at age six, and went on to study at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. By age 21, she was already an internationally recognized concert pianist and signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon. She has since established herself as one of the leading artists of her generation. Wang currently lives in New York.
5. Cui Jian (1961 - )
With an HPI of 42.15, Cui Jian is the 5th most famous Chinese Musician. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
Cui Jian (Chinese: 崔健; Korean: 최건; born 2 August 1961) is a Beijing-based Chinese singer-songwriter, trumpeter and guitarist. Affectionately called "Old Cui" (老崔; Lǎo Cuī), he is credited with pioneering Chinese rock music. For this distinction he is often labeled the "Father of Chinese Rock". Cui is an idealist who loathed money and commerce. He fantasized that rock 'n roll could rebuild young people's "red idealism". A white baseball cap with a bright red star is his symbol.
6. Li Yundi (1982 - )
With an HPI of 41.11, Li Yundi is the 6th most famous Chinese Musician. His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.
Yundi Li (simplified Chinese: 李云迪; traditional Chinese: 李雲迪; pinyin: Lǐ Yúndí; born 7 October 1982), also known mononymously as Yundi (stylized as YUNDI), is a Chinese classical concert pianist. Yundi is especially known for his interpretation of Chopin and Liszt. He is also referred as a Master in Chopin and one of the finest interpreters of Chopin and Liszt. Yundi rose to fame for being the youngest pianist, at the age of eighteen, to win first prize at the International Chopin Piano Competition in 2000. In 2015, he also served as the competition’s youngest-ever juror. In recognition to his contribution to Chopin pieces, the Polish government awarded Yundi with the world's first Chopin passport (Chopinowskie paszporty). Yundi is also the first Chinese recipient of both Silver (2010) and Gold (2019) Medal for Merit to Culture - Gloria Artis issued by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Polish government, in regards to his contribution to both music and Polish culture. Yundi has promoted Chinese traditional music worldwide, as well as the development of classical music in China, both by his influence and philanthropy. He has inspired many to learn piano.
7. Liu Fang (1974 - )
With an HPI of 33.43, Liu Fang is the 7th most famous Chinese Musician. Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
Liu Fang (Chinese: t 劉芳, s 刘芳, p Liú Fāng; b. 1974) is a Chinese–Canadian musician who is one of the most prominent pipa players in the world. Described in the media as the "empress of pipa" (L'actualité), "divine mediator" (World), "the greatest ambassadress of the art of the pipa", Liu Fang is known as "possessing virtuoso technique, grace and a unique empathy toward the music she plays – whether it is a traditional and folk tune or a modern Western composition" (All Music Guide). "She has an extraordinary focused, poised presence in her manner and her playing. In a lesser player this is just a trained formality; the body of material and techniques for her instruments is extremely highly developed, passed down through centuries. But Liu Fang’s total devotion to her playing has moved her beyond perfect execution to the creativity and flexibility that marks a true musician."(in the fRoots Magazine, 06.2006).
Pantheon has 7 people classified as musicians born between 1929 and 1987. Of these 7, 6 (85.71%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living musicians include Lang Lang, Toshiko Akiyoshi, and Yuja Wang. The most famous deceased musicians include Fou Ts'ong. As of April 2022, 1 new musicians have been added to Pantheon including Fou Ts'ong.
