Veteran Heritage Protector Donates 26 Musical Documents to Ningbo Musicians Museum

Chen Wanfeng, a long-serving heritage preservation worker in Yinzhou, has donated 26 collected musical documents to the Ningbo Musicians Museum. The collection mainly consists of musical publications issued between the 1950s and 1980s, including precious items such as an early score of the Yellow River Cantata and the 1966 edition of Yongjiang Songs.

Born in 1942, Chen began grassroots cultural and heritage conservation work in 1962. He is a witness and guardian of Yinzhou’s heritage preservation cause. He has previously donated collections to multiple institutions including the Ningbo Gang Museum, China Port Museum, Shanghai History Museum and Ningbo Education Museum, providing valuable historical materials supporting academic research at these venues.

“I have devoted my whole life to cultural work. I know these materials can realize their greatest value when preserved in professional museums. I have kept these musical documents for two to three decades. Upon learning that a dedicated musicians museum has opened in Dongjiao Subdistrict, I decided to donate them so more people can learn about this precious musical heritage,” Chen said.

Other donated works include March Collection compiled by Qian Juntao and published by Fuhua Bookstore in 1953, Short Piano Pieces compiled by Qian Renkang from the same publisher in 1953, and Welcome Spring to Transform the World from Chen Gang’s Selected Violin Solos. The collection also features Arranged Workers and Peasants Armed by Zhu Jian’er, Piano-accompanied excerpts from The Red Lantern performed by Yin Chengzong, and classic works of different eras such as The Azalea Mountain, Sun Rises over Jinggang Mountain and I Love Beijing Tiananmen. Internal publications including the 1988 issues of Shanghai Stage and Shaoxing are also included.

These publications reflect facets of China’s music creation and publishing landscape from the 1950s to the 1980s. Many carry distinct marks of their times, and several editions are now rare. In particular, the 1966 Yongjiang Songs documents local musical creation in Ningbo during a specific period and fills gaps in regional musical archives.

Located in Hengshiqiao Community, Dongjiao Subdistrict, Ningbo Musicians Museum is China’s first memorial hall dedicated to modern and contemporary musicians of Ningbo origin. It serves as an urban cultural landmark tasked with preserving the city’s musical legacy and facilitating cultural exchange. Since opening nearly one year ago, it has become an important venue showcasing the history of the “Ningbo Musicians Gang” and delivering public music services.

Shen Wei, curator of the museum, remarked: “This donation fills several gaps in our collection, especially the highly valuable materials related to the Yellow River Cantata. We will promptly sort, catalogue and digitize these documents and display them in special exhibitions to honour the donor’s wishes.”