About the Hong Kong SENZA A Cappella Group

All five members of the Hong Kong SENZA a cappella group appeared at the Hanging Temple event. SENZA A Cappella With its unique a cappella format, allowed tourists to experience its unique ensemble style and performance charm. When their voices echoed between the semi-enclosed cliffs of the Hanging Temple, it was as if time stood still. The natural sound reflection field added an ethereal reverberation to the harmony, making each note seem to come alive, leaping and echoing in the air.

SENZA A Cappella is Hong Kong's premier a cappella group, founded in 2009 by students from Hong Kong Baptist University. The name comes from the Italian word "senza" (meaning "without"), perfectly embodying its "no instrumental accompaniment" musical philosophy. Initially based on campus, the members came from different disciplines, and with diverse musical styles (including pop, jazz, classical, and musicals), they quickly rose to prominence, gradually moving from campus to the international stage.

Core Members and Performance Characteristics. The group currently consists of five members: soprano Liang Siyuan (Miri), baritone Zhou Jinyi (Jax), tenor and beatboxer Fu Jiajun (Calvert), alto and beatboxer Luo Langqiao (Peace), and bass and beatboxer Lin Jinghao (King). They are skilled at using pure human voices to simulate instrumental sounds, such as creating rhythms through beatboxing, while incorporating harmony arrangements and improvisation to create a unique "vocal symphony" effect.

Musical Achievements and Representative Works. The group's musical works include covers of classics and original songs. In 2020, their two hit songs, "I Reach Out and Hug Myself" and "Limited-Time Dynamic," broke into the mainstream music scene, making them the first a cappella group in Hong Kong to be nominated for the Jade Solid Gold Best Song Award and the "My Favorite Group" award. In 2021, their debut album "Circle of Fifths" quickly sold out and was nominated for the 15th Freshmusic Awards "EP of the Year" and "Best Creative/Singing Group." In 2024, they released their second album "Without," which includes original works such as "Sound Recording," "Double-Sided Project," and "Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts," and collaborated with several other Hong Kong a cappella groups on "A Short Life (All in One Version)." Their cover songs are also very popular, such as their collaboration with AGA on "Mad x 3AM Medley," with Lin Haifeng on "Shoe Number Nine," and Wuxia-themed adaptations such as "A Laugh from the Vast Ocean" and "Two Forgetful Waters." Their YouTube channel has over 8.5 million views, and their annual "Annual Hong Kong Music Medley" has become an annual event eagerly anticipated by fans.

Performance Experience and Influence. SENZA is active on stages in Hong Kong and mainland China, having held concerts in large venues such as the Hong Kong Coliseum, MacPherson Stadium, and Wuhan Qintai Concert Hall. The group is also actively involved in cross-border collaborations, such as recording backing vocals for singers such as Hins Cheung, Kay Tse, and G.E.M., and participating in major events such as the Hong Kong Film Awards and the Jade Solid Gold Top 10 Awards. Their performances have also taken them to Japan and Singapore, and in 2016, they won the Best Arrangement Award (Jazz) at the Singapore AKA A CAPPELLA Music Festival.

About the Hanging Temple

"Linghu Chong led Abbot Fangzheng and Chongxu Daozhang down from the Peak of Enlightenment, towards the magnetic kiln mouth, and arrived at the foot of Cui Ping Mountain. Fangzheng and Chongxu looked up, and saw two pavilions standing on the peak, like fairy palaces appearing in the clouds. Fangzheng sighed: 'The person who built this pavilion truly had a wonderful imagination, truly there is nothing difficult in the world, only those who are determined.'" This is the first appearance of the Hanging Temple in "Smiling, Proud Wanderer." Although it appears later in the story, it later becomes a rather important location.

Just as the peak of Jianxing is not actually the main peak of Hengshan Mountain, Hanging Temple is not, as described by Jin Yong, "standing on the top of the peak," but rather suspended on the cliffside, more perilous than Jin Yong's description suggests. This is particularly important for fans of Jin Yong's "martial arts geography": one should not arbitrarily speculate on Jin Yong's intentions, but should also respect basic facts to avoid spreading misinformation.

“For ordinary people, when they ascend and look around, they see nothing but emptiness, clouds rising from their feet, as if they were in heaven, inevitably causing their hearts and minds to tremble, and their limbs to become weak.” But for first-rate masters like Linghu Chong, Fang Zheng, and Chongxu, it was “a magnificent view that broadened their chests.” Hanging Temple, though small, is a miniature theater where several good plays were staged: Fang Zheng, Chongxu, and Linghu Chong secretly plotted to disrupt the Five Mountains Alliance Conference; a demon cult expert attacked the three with black water poisoned arrows; Yi Lin's "mute grandmother" mother shaved Linghu Chong's head, forcing him to marry her daughter...

Among these plays, the "demon cult expert's attack with black water poisoned arrows" is the most thrilling: not only were the railings of the Hanging Temple's sky bridge corroded by the poisoned arrows, leaving small holes, but one of the pavilions was even set on fire. The demon cult's attacker, Jiabu, was then "sent flying outward" by Fang Zheng, "his screams growing fainter and fainter as he fell into the deep valley outside Cui Ping Mountain." Of course, these scenes will only ever be presented in static text. Given the "hanging" nature of Hanging Temple, reality could not withstand such conflict. Even in the various versions of the TV series "Smiling Proud Wanderer," none have ever used a real shot of Hanging Temple. When Zhang Jizhong filmed his version of "Smiling Proud Wanderer," didn't he spend 200,000 yuan to "clone" a "Hanging Temple"? —Besides the fact that Hanging Temple is a national treasure and cannot be easily disturbed, in my opinion, no one would dare to actually fight with weapons in such a cramped place several meters above the ground.

About Hengshan Mountain

According to the description of Hengshan Mountain in "Smiling Proud Wanderer," searching for martial arts traces here is a very interesting thing: Jin Yong's writing is a mix of reality and fiction, while those who search for these places tend to force connections and make assumptions, which is also quite interesting.

Tongyuan Valley — frequently appearing in "Smiling Proud Wanderer". At the foot of Hengshan Mountain, on the flat ground, is a place called Tingzhi Ridge. From there, along a stone path, one can reach Guolao Ridge. Below the ridge is Tongyuan Valley — where Linghu Chong gathered people from all walks of life for cultivation. The book says, “Tongyuan Valley is beside Jianxing Peak. Legend has it that Zhang Guolao, a Taoist immortal of the Tang Dynasty, once refined pills here. There are several hoofprints on the large stones of Hengshan Mountain, which are said to have been left by Zhang Guolao's donkey. Emperor Xuanzong of Tang bestowed the title of "Tongyuan Xian Sheng" (Master Tongyuan) on Zhang Guolao, and the name Tongyuan Valley comes from this. Although Tongyuan Valley and the main temple on Jianxing Peak are not far apart, the mountain path from the valley to the peak is extremely dangerous. Linghu Chong placed these martial arts figures in Tongyuan Valley, separating men and women to avoid trouble.”

Tianfeng Ridge — where Linghu Chong took over as the head of Hengshan School. If you don't linger in the large group of temples in Hengshan Mountain, you can climb to the main peak — Tianfeng Ridge — in less than an hour. It is empty, even more empty than the "empty Jianxing Peak" in the "martial arts world": on Jianxing Peak, "the main temple of Hengshan School, Wuse Temple, is a small temple, with more than 30 tiled houses beside it, where the disciples live. ... Wuse Temple only has two courtyards, compared to the magnificent Shaolin Temple, it is like an ant compared to an elephant." But on Tianfeng Ridge, there is not even this simple temple, only a large marble stele inscribed with "Hengshan Peak, 2017 meters above sea level".

Regardless, this is where Linghu Chong took over as the head of Hengshan School. “After the crowd had finished lunch, they sat down in a circle on the open ground in front of the main temple of Jianxing Peak. Linghu Chong sat on the west side, and hundreds of female disciples stood behind him in order of seniority, waiting for the auspicious time to perform the ceremony of succession.” At the summit of this Jianxing Peak, hundreds or even thousands of people from all walks of life gathered, including the righteous leaders of the martial arts world such as Fangzheng from Shaolin and Chongxu from Wudang, and evil masters such as Jia Bu and Shangguan Yun, the two elders of the Sun and Moon Divine Sect. What a scene it must have been.

Especially those martial arts heroes who had just finished their meal, they must have been still belching and smelling of alcohol, some even picking their teeth with pine needles they had just pulled off. Amidst this alcoholic atmosphere, the Hengshan School nuns standing solemnly must have been "furrowing their brows secretly." The contrast created a somewhat playful atmosphere in such a serious occasion.

Besides Linghu Chong taking over as the head of the Hengshan School, Jianxing Peak also witnessed a tense and suffocating moment of crisis: Shaolin, Wudang, Kunlun, Emei, and Kongtong schools gathered here, preparing for a decisive battle with the Sun and Moon Divine Sect, which came to flatten Hengshan Mountain. Chongxu from Wudang even prepared 20,000 kilograms of explosives, vowing to blow "the old devil Ren" to smithereens. Luckily, it was a false alarm; otherwise, with the explosion of 20,000 kilograms of explosives, "Ren, the sect leader, would have been killed," and the "sacred mountain scenery would have been destroyed." More importantly, "Yingying would not have been spared." In that case, "Smiling Proud Wanderer" would have ended abruptly.

On Tianfeng Ridge, there is a scenic spot called Baiyun Cave, with the inscription "Baiyun Lingxu" at the entrance. Clouds and mist often gather here, making it a wonder of Hengshan Mountain. In "Smiling Proud Wanderer," the famous medicine Baiyun Bear Gall Pills of the Hengshan School may be related to it. Speaking of which, I recall something off-topic: In the Baidu "Smiling Proud Wanderer" forum, a careful netizen once questioned whether the Baiyun Bear Gall Pills, which must contain bear gall, contradicts the Hengshan School's principle of respecting Buddhism and not killing. Another netizen replied: There is a fundamental difference between medicinal use and gluttony and indiscriminate killing. It's better to save people first than to argue about whether to kill or not. This off-topic matter coincides with the philosophy highlighted in Jin Yong's book: At Jianxing Peak, when various schools gathered to fight the Sun and Moon Divine Sect, when the Shaolin abbot saw Chongxu about to use explosives to kill Ren Woxing, he first "chanted the Buddha's name: 'Amitabha!'" and then said, "My Buddha is compassionate. To save sentient beings, we must also eliminate evil and subdue demons. Killing one tyrant to save thousands or tens of thousands of people is an act of great compassion." - Buddhism is flexible and tolerant. To be overly pedantic and to reverse the priorities is itself a kind of delusion.

During the event, the members of the orchestra and relevant staff also visited the Hanging Temple to explore the "Hanging Temple Xiazong." The beautiful melodies of classic songs such as "A Laugh from the Sea" echoed repeatedly in the Hanging Temple. "A Laugh from the Sea" is the theme song of "Smiling Proud Wanderer." With its majestic and unrestrained melody and free and easy lyrics, it has become a classic in martial arts music. SENZA A Cappella With their powerful and passionate singing, they vividly displayed the chivalrous spirit of this song. When the familiar melody sounded in the valley, the audience seemed to instantly travel to the world of martial arts, full of swords and shadows and vengeance, wandering in the rivers and lakes with Linghu Chong, feeling his ambition and unrestrained life.

This performance held at the Hanging Temple was not only a musical feast but also an in-depth exchange and collision between the cultures of Hong Kong and Shanxi. Hong Kong, as an international metropolis, possesses diverse and rich musical culture; while Shanxi, as one of the important cradles of Chinese civilization, has a long history and profound cultural heritage. SENZA A Cappella This performance perfectly combined Hong Kong's modern musical elements with Shanxi's traditional culture, bringing a brand-new cultural experience to the audience.

Through this performance, the audience appreciated the unique charm of the Hong Kong a cappella group and felt the vitality and innovation of Hong Kong's music culture. At the same time, Hong Kong artists gained a deeper understanding and knowledge of Shanxi's traditional culture, injecting new inspiration and elements into their musical creations. This cross-regional cultural exchange not only enriched the spiritual and cultural lives of the people of both places but also made a positive contribution to promoting the inheritance and development of Chinese culture.

This event was also a themed event jointly held by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government's Economic and Trade Office in Wuhan and the Shanxi Provincial People's Government's Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office for the first time at the Hanging Temple. It is also understood that on the 9th and 10th, the organizers will also hold performances at the Yanmen Pass, the ancient city of Xinzhou, and the Taiyuan Museum performing martial arts classics and famous songs from China and abroad, allowing the feelings of the rivers and lakes to collide with contemporary art to create brilliant sparks.

（ "Smiling, Proud Wanderer" Hengshan School's Wuxia Legacy: The Connection Between a Mountain and the Jianghu Part of the content comes from Guo Bin's article in Shanxi Daily. Sincere thanks! ）