Between The Ears: On The Rubble Of My Home I Played My Flute [11 June 2011]

Available for over a year

Guo Yue is a master of the Chinese bamboo flute, he is also a cook. Yue was eight when the Cultural Revolution began. Red guards almost killed his mother and took her away. Sent out of Beijing with the military, Yue managed to avoid regular army duties by leading the marching on his flute. At 16 he won a place as flautist in an army orchestra and travelled the country playing for the soldiers. In his early twenties, Yue left China to study at the Guildhall in London. He performs across the world and can now return to Beijing. His hutong is still there but on a recent visit he found that his house had been knocked down. So he stood on the rubble and played his flute. Producer: Julian May, BBC.