'Red foreigner' finds success through song

Iain Inglis first came to China at age 26, knowing little about the country he was destined to call home. But after more than 10 years of singing about its history, the Welshman dubbed the "red foreigner" has a special perspective on his adopted land.

Early on, Inglis sought a unique way to learn about Chinese history, language and culture. He decided to teach himself to sing "red songs" or communist revolutionary songs. The very first tune he learned, imitated from a CD, was Socialism is great.

That first stroke helped him achieve many things, including a bit of television fame.

It all started in Sanya, a tourist resort on Hainan Island in southern China. Inglis, who has lived in the city since 2007, took part in a small-scale "red song" competition at a resort in 2009, coming in fourth.

After that, he participated in a national "Red song" competition in Jiangxi in 2010, winning fifth place. He also was invited to compete on the China's Got Talent show on Dragon TV in Shanghai in 2011. He reached the final 16 by singing patriotic Communist songs dressed in a military uniform, becoming popular with audiences as the "red foreigner".

"I love to sing 'red songs'. It really makes me happy. I take it as a way to learn about Chinese culture, and find friends in the same camp, and it indeed got me favorable results", wrote Inglis, who can sing more than 30 'Red songs' and speak fairly good Chinese, on WeChat, a popular messaging app.

Inglis' success on the Chinese TV show garnered the attention of both Chinese and British media.

The former lecturer at Jiangsu province also found his life partner, marrying a Chinese woman, Yu Yanling, whom he met on a plane from Japan to China.

Now Inglis, who became a permanent resident in China in 2014, runs a media company with his Chinese friends in Hainan province, making videos about Chinese culture and Chinese people for various audiences. He typically introduces his story and talks about the scenery and local culture in both Chinese and English.

He is also invited by various TV programs to give his opinions on specific topics.

Contact the writers through liuxiaoli@chinadaily.com.cn.

(China Daily 10/20/2015 page18)