Waves of the Huangpu River

Name: Waves of the Huangpu River
ISBN: 9781923636125

张小宪May 2026

3.4

Word count: 762 words
Chapters: 16
ISBN: 9781923636125

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Summary

Waves of the Huangpu River is a collection of short pieces and serves as an overarching title that declares I am a Shanghai native. Apart from one year living elsewhere, I have spent my whole life in Shanghai. Sometimes I think: there are people in remote mountains who have never left the mountains their entire lives! Compared with them, I at least have more news and have seen more people and all kinds of things. Of course, art is essentially built on imagination. For example, the lively scene in the piece Watching a Wedding, I drew from imagination, hoping to give you listening pleasure. This work includes 14 original pieces. These pieces were born from a unique musical journey: each month the author freely shared his creations on a video channel, seeking neither fame nor profit, driven purely by a love of music. The works have been drifting around on the video channel, and more and more people have come to know them. This time, to promote his works, the author has compiled and published Waves of the Huangpu River, hoping more listeners will learn about them, so that the circle of dissemination will grow. In fact, every author has this thought. Thank you to all the listeners who have seen the scores.

Editor's review

Waves of the Huangpu River is a collection of short pieces bearing a distinct personal stamp, containing fourteen original compositions; the title itself signals the author's blood tie to Shanghai. The author notes that, apart from one year living elsewhere, he has basically always lived in Shanghai. This long experience of dwelling in one city gives the works an observational and imaginative quality rooted in urban life: Watching a Wedding, for instance, draws on imagination and aims at "listening pleasure." Notably, these pieces were first shared free each month on a video channel, seeking neither fame nor profit, driven purely by a love of music; now gathered into a book, the hope is that more listeners will discover them and the circle of dissemination will widen. The book's value thus lies not only in the scores themselves but in the plain way it records creation and sharing: the works first "drift around" online, then settle onto the page. Read it as a Shanghai author's musical notebook—one can look at the scores, or pair them with audio to feel the melodies. It suits readers interested in original short-form music and urban-life themes, to be browsed in a relaxed, non-utilitarian spirit.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in original short-form music and scores
Readers who enjoy urban-life themes and relaxed, essay-like works
Readers curious about the interplay between online sharing and print publication
General readers hoping to encounter original music in a relaxed spirit

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting long-form literary narrative or a complete story
Professional learners seeking a systematic music theory textbook
Readers who prefer fast-paced, plot-driven reading

Reading tips

Begin by scanning the track titles in the contents and choose pieces that interest you to read alongside the scores.
If you can find the corresponding audio on the author's video channel, listen while reading the scores for a more direct experience.
No need to read in order; it works well as a bedside or leisure book to dip into.
When reading pieces born of imagination, such as Watching a Wedding, notice how the author uses melody to build a scene.

版权信息
序
1.阿克苏苹果牙克西
2.开学啦
3.土豪伦巴
4.黄浦江之波
5.不是魔，不是仙，卡通是少年
6.快递穿梭高楼间
7.吹口哨的骑车人
8.观人娶亲
9.好收成
10.梦中到过你那里
11.新年进行曲
12.春始融冰雪
13.母与子之一《思儿归》
14.母与子之二《回家》

FAQ

Is this book a novel or a music collection?

This is a collection of short pieces containing fourteen original compositions, along with the author's personal notes and creative background. It is not a novel; read it as a Shanghai author's musical notebook—you can look at the scores or pair them with audio to feel the melodies.

Did the pieces in the book exist first as audio or as text?

According to the author, these pieces were first shared free each month on a video channel; the works spread online first and were later compiled and published as a book. So if readers can find the corresponding audio on the video channel and read it alongside the scores, their understanding will be more complete.

Can someone without a music background read this book?

Yes. Besides the scores, the book includes the author's own account of the origins and ideas behind the works, so general readers can browse it as a relaxed collection of short pieces. To feel the melodies more deeply, listening to the audio is recommended; score-reading ability is not required.

Why is the book titled Waves of the Huangpu River?

In his notes the author explains that Waves of the Huangpu River is the overarching title of this collection and also indicates that he is a Shanghai native. The title carries a sense of regional identity and relates to the author's long life in Shanghai and his observations of urban life.

Comments

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About the author

张小宪 Author

Zhang Xiaoxian is an author about whom little public information is available. The library holds two of his works, Waves of the Huangpu River and Chronicles of the Far East. Judging from the existing classification, his writing is related to the field of film and television, and his subjects appear to center on the history and urban life of Shanghai and the wider Far East, with a strong narrative quality and a vivid sense of scene. Waves of the Huangpu River takes the Huangpu River as its thread, readily evoking the changes of Shanghai as a city and the fates of its people, while Chronicles of the Far East, to judge from its title, may involve historical observations and records of people and events across a broader region. Because reliable information about the author's life, identity and creative background is currently lacking, it is difficult to confirm his nationality, dates of birth and death, or professional experience, nor is it possible to determine the specific genres and publication circumstances of the two works. On the basis of the available titles alone, Zhang Xiaoxian's works show an interest in regional history and documentary narrative, and may appeal to readers interested in Shanghai's urban memory and Far Eastern subjects.