Tsinghua alumna Chen Jingfei’s courageous musical journey

Editor’s Note:

Chen Jingfei, a Tsinghua alumna from the School of Economics and Management (SEM), is known as a musician in the Mando-pop scene. 

What made her become a professional musician? How did she start her musical journey? How did her time at Tsinghua shape her life as a musician? Let’s read about Chen Jingfei’s musical journey to find out the answers to these questions.

In her childhood, Chen Jingfei often visited the Summer Palace when she came to visit her grandparents in Beijing. Later in 2018, she sang Summer Palace, which is sort of a romantic dialogue crossing time and space that does not merely memorialize the palace, but also offers a peek into her inner world. 

“Summer Palace is the memory between reality and illusion, the other shore between existence and nothingness, the Eden I created for myself,” explains Chen Jingfei. 

Chen Jingfei's stage

Growing up, she had dreamed of becoming a director. But as it happened, she entered the world of music. And once she overcame the first feeling of singing, she never looked back. 

She perceives herself as an ordinary person who persists in chasing her dreams. She owes her admission into Tsinghua SEM more to luck in the college entrance examination that year. It was written in the stars that she would be part of Tsinghua, says she, being modest. 

Chen Jingfei says Tsinghua University’s openness and inclusion have led her to grab enough opportunities to learn and experience new things. 

In December 2020, she released her first original self-titled debut album, which she says was her attempt to innovate herself into a wholly new self and to understand herself through her songs. 

“Welcome to my life on the set,” her album cover reads.

 “I definitely know that my absolute ideal place is utopia, which doesn’t exist unless I create it,” says Chen Jingfei, who is fond of fantasy just like her father, who is an editor.

When studying at Tsinghua University, Chen Jingfei just made singing a hobby and didn’t have much confidence in her singing ability. But her friends praised her for her melodious voice, which ignited her passion for singing.

Chen Jingfei's stage

Chen Jingfei participated in a camp singing contest, performing in the Tsinghua Auditorium. And that marked the beginning of her musical journey, from singing on campus to writing her songs and releasing her own albums.

After finishing her studies at Tsinghua, she went to Berkeley for further studies, where she started writing her songs. She improved her writing capacity by imitating some famous writers’ styles in her leisure time, and learned the Music Video cutting technology in classes. 

After graduating from Berkeley in 2016, she decided to fully pursue a musical career.

Today, she has become a versatile singer who can write her own lyrics, compose melodies and produce music videos. In her latest album, she has boldly conducted an experiment crossing the border of music and movies. She has conveyed herself through the power of her voice, creating her own version of utopia.

Chen Jingfei in the interview

“I do know how I became the person I am today. Many times I felt I couldn’t make it, but gradually I found my potential,” says Chen Jingfei. 

To her, life is all about brave attempts. “Many people think it’s hard to find and follow their passion due to the high costs, limited time and amateurish capacity…but as difficult as it seems, each of us should take a step forward. For me, it’s far less tough than one imagines,” she says, “The most important thing for a person is to think less and try more. Just step out of your comfort zone, and you will discover a whole new world!”

Chen Jingfei and her friends

Be more courageous and more loyal to your dream. Life depends on your choice.

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TsinghuaRen | Tsinghua alumna Chen Jingfei’s courageous musical journey

Writer: Liao Yubin

Editors: Liu Shutian, JP, Gillian‍‍‍

Designer: Xia Yifei

Reviewers: Chen Ken, Lin Yuan