In today's get-rich-quick culture in China, it is a delight to find someone who defies the stereotype of a popular music superstar. Yadong is known all over China as the first Tibetan pop star, and he lives here in Chengdu. I have been working on getting an appointment with him for over a year, and last night finally succeeded. Our group of 13 students and myself, accompanied by two translators, met with YaDong for three hours at his studio complex in downtown Chengdu.

He is as charismatic in person as he is onstage, but also very genuine, very excited about his music, and clearly somewhat surprised to have such a large delegation of Westerners interested in meeting him!

We asked about his upbringing in a small remote monastery town, about his self-taught rise from truck driver to pop star, and about his efforts to use his music to teach both Chinese and young Tibetans about authentic Tibetan music. For him this means both the original folk songs he learned as a boy, but also the new popular songs written by himself and his colleagues and students which are rooted in the traditions of Tibetan song. Some of these sound to our ears like Rap (!) but are closely based on the singing tradition of the "Gesar Epic" singers- Gesar being arguably the longest story in the world! It's staccato singing style is mesmerizing, and it is no wonder Yadong finds it so compelling in his new music.

At the top of his game, one might expect a superstar to relax and just continue to make money. But YaDong is moving now in the direction of producing and directing music and videos for the next generation of Tibetan singers, many of whom revere him as their idol and mentor. Indeed, he is planning to go to school for the first time since primary school to learn more about the craft of film making so that he can continue to grow as an artist and person.

He really won our hearts when he played us the rough mix of a new song he just wrote for his daughter. I was particularly touched by this as I am missing my two daughters back home! I felt like a school kid as I sheepishly asked him to autograph some copies of his CD's and have a photo taken with him. He was most gracious, and I promised to bring him several CD's of Western singers he might enjoy.