Songwriter plans to take Year of the Horse literally

Director targets critics over reviews

Escapism from a 'vulgar' filmmaker

It's not the first time for Luan and Feng to cooperate. They have known each other for over a decade. In 2010, Feng invited Luan to write all the music for his movie, If You Are the One II.

Wang Shuo, novelist and long-time collaborator with Feng, handed a piece of paper to Luan with Tsangyang Gyatso's poem written on it.

"It gave us goose bumps at once," recalls Luan. Later, Luan borrowed the lines from Gyatso's poem and wrote the movie's closing song, Best Not to Meet, which became an instant hit.

Luan, who has worked for decades in the music industry, says what attracts him most to writing music for movies is that "a change of note may influence the emotion of a movie scene".

His early academic training as a classical violinist and pianist, since he was 5, enabled him to write pop and rock songs from a different perspective.

"Nowadays, the music industry is a little bit chaotic," he says. "But I still believe in the lasting power of a good song, which can reach people's hearts and be passed down through generations."

In 2014, Luan says he will spend much more time with horses and his big plan is to shoot a documentary about horses. He will travel around China, recording footage of different types of horses and their history. China will celebrate the Year of the Horse during the upcoming Lunar New Year.

"The horse has played an important part in Chinese history but it is neglected by our modern society," says Luan, who has been thinking about the project for three years.

He also wants to film elderly people in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region who have spent their lives on horseback - and document their music.

"Music and horse riding share things in common - rhythm and human touch," he says.