Pianist Liu Shih Kun uses music as bridge

Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng sent a congratulatory letter to Liu stating that the musician "has been committed to advancing the art of piano performance in China and promoting cultural exchanges … people are the foundation of China-US relations".

Liu said he will continue to use his music to build connections between cultures. He has been a pioneer in bilateral cultural exchange for decades.

In 1958, a 19-year-old Liu took second place at the International Tchaikovsky Competition, after American pianist Van Cliburn. Liu's talent also earned him recognition among many audiences in the United States.

He and his music played a significant role in the 1970s in promoting the budding diplomatic relationship between the United States and China.

In 1973, during the historic first visit of the Philadelphia Orchestra to China, Liu gave a solo performance at the Beijing Cultural Palace of Nationalities, where he received a standing ovation from the entire orchestra. The visit, authorized by US President Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger, kick-started modern US-China relations.

In 1978, as vice-chairman and chief performer of the Chinese Art Delegation, he became one of the earliest Chinese artists to tour in the US and was received by President Jimmy Carter at the White House Rose Garden.

"At that time, we [China and US] didn't yet have formal diplomatic relations at the embassy level, so we stayed at the so-called 'Chinese Liaison Office' in the US," Liu reminisced. "We toured in New York, Washington, Los Angeles, San Francisco and so on."

In 1979, he collaborated with the Boston Symphony Orchestra to perform in Beijing and returned to the US for two additional concerts at the invitation of Seiji Ozawa, the orchestra's music director.

Liu said music built the connection historically between East and West, among different countries' ideologies.

"Music is universal," he said. "It bridges gaps and knows no boundaries."

He said that the inaugural International Tchaikovsky Competition played a crucial role in thawing relations between the former Soviet Union and the US during the Cold War's intense "Space Race" between the superpowers.

"Let's transform the arms race into a competition of peaceful and friendly cultures," was the competition slogan proposed by Nikita Khrushchev.