The Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra will perform across the mainland to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China.[Photo provided to China Daily]

At age 18, he enrolled to study at the Xi'an Conservatory of Music with a major in sanxian performance and later learned conducting.

In 1978, just after China restarted the national college entrance exam following the end of the "cultural revolution" (1966-76), Yan became the only student majoring in conducting at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

He was invited to join the Hong Kong orchestra by composer Peng Xiuwen, who was the guest conductor of the orchestra from 1981 to 1996.

Yan accepted the job because he wanted to learn with the maestro.

Peng was one of the founding figures of Chinese orchestral music, the combination of traditional instruments and a Western orchestral configuration.

Yan took the position as the artistic director of the orchestra after the maestro passed away in 1996.

Yan calls Hong Kong his second home. He says he didn't expect to stay on for 20 years.

"What makes Hong Kong unique is that, on one hand, it's a very modernized society; and, on the other hand, it is very traditional. That really inspired me and influenced the development of the orchestra," says Yan.

Contact the writer at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn