MUSICIAN in TUNE WITH FAME

It should probably come as a big surprise that a Mandarin song, Yi Jian Mei, or One Plum Blossom, from a 1984 Taiwan TV drama with the same title, has become a viral phenomenon.

It's also equally surprising that 65-year-old veteran singer, Fei Yu-ching, who performs the song and announced his retirement with his last concert held in Taipei on Nov 7, 2019, has won over a group of new fans in Western countries with his mellifluous and smoothing voice.

One version of the song has been viewed more than 16 million times on YouTube. According to digital music service Spotify, the song was also hugely popular on the music charts of New Zealand, Norway and Finland.

The popularity of the song started with a Chinese man, who performed the song in the snow and posted it online on Kuaishou on Jan 20. His video was shared on YouTube in February and attracted the attention of many viewers with his unique voice. It scored more than 400,000 views.

Within the past couple of months, the song has been adapted into different versions, including a hip-hop version and with a clip from the Regular Show, an American animated television series. It has been shared on popular social media platforms, such as TikTok and Twitter.

"The song has been popular for decades among Chinese music fans. I didn't expect that it could reach audiences in the West. My parents still listen to the song. Indeed, it's a great song," commented a Chinese fan on Sina Weibo, a popular Chinese social media platform.

In 2015, the song was used as the theme song of a Chinese comedy, Goodbye Mr Loser, directed by Yan Fei and Peng Damo, which grossed over 1.4 billion yuan ($197 million), one of the best-selling films of that year.

Born in Taiwan as Chang Yen-ting, Fei Yu-ching launched his music career by winning a local singing competition in 1973 and has released over 100 albums. He is also a TV host. On Sept 27, 2018, he announced his plans to retire and launched a global farewell tour.

The song, Yi Jian Mei, with lyrics written by Wawa King and composed by Chen Bide, is about a man's unrequited love. He expresses his love, which is full of sorrow and no regrets.

One of the lines Xue Hua Piao Piao Bei Feng Xiao Xiao, literally translated as "snow falls and wind blows", has been used widely in emojis and comments to convey a mocking and complaining tone.

"My parents talking about getting a divorce. Me in my room: Xue Hua Piao Piao Bei Feng Xiao Xiao," a viewer wrote under the name, Bruh Bruh, on YouTube.

"Jokes aside, this is actually a pretty nice and relaxing song," commented another fan on YouTube.

"Despite of the language barrier, the English-speaking listeners can still feel the sadness of the lyrics. Fei Yu-ching is truly breaking cultural boundaries with his voice," wrote a Chinese fan.