I don’t have money / but that’s not a problem / because I have my friends and a healthy body ...

    I was a kid when I graduated / became an English teacher was a good place to start / changed my path / so I changed my life ...

    I am still in Shenzhen / to create a new life ...

    I have a very cute daughter / mixed children are the next generation.

    — A song written by Rue Moyer

    Luo Songsong

    songsongluo@126.com

    Each time Rue Moyer sings the above song in Chinese at music venues, audience members always burst out in applause. But now, the 30-year-old local singer-songwriter has decided to pursue a new career back in America after strenuously helping build up Shenzhen’s music scene for years.

    As Chinese philosopher Confucius put, a man should set his mind on learning at 15 and plant his feet firm upon the ground at the age of 30. After living in Shenzhen for seven years, Moyer has a beautiful Chinese wife and a lovely daughter, which means more social obligations.

    “The city is great for beginners, for trying new things. I’ve tried everything I wanted to do here. I even put down roots. Now at 30, I am ready for my next adventure and am concerned with providing a stable, comfortable life for my family,” said Moyer, who is also known by his Chinese name, Guan Run.

    In 2007, Moyer took a teaching post in the city after graduating from college where he studied Western philosophy. “I started to practice yoga during my junior year in college and became very interested in the Eastern approach to life and thinking,” said Moyer.

    Moyer started on his musical career rather late. In high school, he started to sing after landing the lead role in his high school musical. In college he as a part of an elite touring choir started to learn guitar at the end of his college years. "Before I came to Shenzhen, I had already decided to become a musician,” said Moyer.

    But there was nearly nothing going on in the local music scene back then. He quickly realized that the city was a place where people can create opportunities, add to the city’s color and move on. “It is a great city for young beginners because it is full of opportunities,” said Moyer.

    Shenzhen isn’t known for its music scene. It is a transient business city still in its infancy, but the infant loves music the same as the old man. And, the infant has the advantage of drawing from a highly talented, culturally diverse populace from which to build its music foundation. “Believe me when I say, it’s only a matter of time,” wrote Moyer on the website The Nanfang.

    The opportunity came when he met his wife Gabree Kwan in 2009, who led the innovation department for online music business at Huawei Corporation. Since then, they worked together to lay the foundation for the project, which is now the Shenzhen Local Music (SZLM) website.

    “Through her, I’ve learned to hear subtleties and changes in voices. Without her, I wouldn’t hear music the way I do now. I’ve never met someone who understood music so intimately and can grasp sound so effortlessly,” wrote Moyer on his blog.

    Moyer said that growing the local music scene was their goal. So far, SZLM has organized two Blues and Folk festivals, a Halloween Rock party and a Hip-pop festival in town, each attracting dozens of bands, vendors and hundreds of audience members.

    “We wanted to bring continuity to the music scene by creating on online platform that connected, supported and promoted what was happening offline. This way, people can find and know about events, all throughout Shenzhen and the Pearl River Delta region, getting local musicians into local venues and keeping steady live music on regular basis, not just here and there," said Rue.

    “In the first three and a half years, I always asked myself whether I should go back to the United States or stay here until my wife got pregnant,” said Moyer. When their daughter, nicknamed Feng Feng, was born in 2011, Moyer felt the pressure and became more committed to his original passion — writing a blog about the local music scene.

    “Some expats only take things away from the city, but I want to spread some seeds here,” he said.

    On his blog, he talks about playing shows, connecting musicians with venue owners, setting up sound equipment and stages, running from this end of town to that and networking like a fiend.

    In addition, he has created several musical events in town, including Open-mic and singer-songwriter’s night at the Village Bar in Shekou. On his WeChat platform, under his photo is a quote by Dr. Suzuki — “Think locally, act locally.”

    His principle is to do music here. However, running a music business is not possible without enough capital. “It is easy to start a business and keep it going, but it’s really hard to take it to the next level. Though our business is not successful, we have built up the local music scene. Everything we did worked, and is a complete success,” said Moyer.

    “We have tried our best to develop a foundation for the local music community, now the foundation is already there, and local expatriate musicians have venues to perform at,” said Moyer.

    “Music is ingrained in us. It’s as intricate as the DNA that makes up our being and as rhythmic as a heartbeat. It was always a matter of time before the need for music in Shenzhen was backed by an obvious enough demand. The time is now,” wrote Moyer in his blog.

    “Shenzhen is step one in my adult life,” said Moyer, who will spend Christmas with his wife and daughter in America for the first time in seven years. “Now, I am not afraid of going back to America because I have become a better musician and have gathered a lot of management and event planning experience,” said Moyer.

    “It was always a matter of time before the need for music in Shenzhen was backed by an obvious enough demand. The time is now.”

    — Rue Moyer, a 30-year-old American singer-songwriter