Han Mei

Not to be confused withHan Mei (speed skater).

In thisChinese name, thefamily name isHan.

Mei Han (simplified Chinese:韩梅;traditional Chinese:韓梅;pinyin:Hán Méi) is a Chinese-Canadianguzheng performer and scholar.

She was born into amilitary family inBeijing, the youngest of four children.^[1] Her fatherHan Shu came fromShanxi, and her mother, who is halfMiao, came fromHunan. Her maternal grandfather was a scholar, calligrapher, and educator named Long Zhancen (龙湛岑, 1889–1969).^[2]

Han began playing thezheng at the age of eleven.^[3] She graduated with a degree in English from Beijing Workers' University (北京市职工大学), and performed for a time with the Beijing Comrades Song and Dance Troupe (北京战友歌舞团; full name: 北京军区政治部战友歌舞团), which is affiliated with thePeople's Liberation Army.

Han's primary instrument is the 21-stringzheng, but she also playszheng with 16, 23, and 26 strings, as well as theliuqin, a high pitched small lute. She performs intraditional,contemporary, andcross-cultural contexts. She studiedguzheng with Zhang Yan (张燕, 1945–1996) and Gao Zicheng (高自成, 1918–2010). She has recorded withPaul Plimley,Orchid Ensemble andRandy Raine-Reusch and performs internationally with her Chinese instrumental quartet Red Chamber, which was established in 2005.^[4] WithRed Chamber, she recorded two albums:Redgrass (2008), which combines Chinese music with elements ofbluegrass, andGathering (2014).

She holds a Ph.D. and two master's degrees inethnomusicology: from the Musical Research Institute of theChinese Arts Academy (中国艺术研究院音乐研究所) in Beijing (1995) and from theUniversity of British Columbia (2000, 2014). She wrote the "Zheng" article for the second edition of theNew Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (2001), andNew Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments.

Han lived for many years inVancouver,British Columbia, Canada, with her husbandRandy Raine-Reusch. She came to Vancouver in 1996 and met Raine-Reusch at theUniversity of British Columbia in 1998, marrying him in 2001.^[5] She served as Visiting assistant professor atKenyon College in Gambier, Ohio from 2013 to 2015, and is currently associate professor atMiddle Tennessee State University near Nashville, Tennessee, and the founding director of MTSU's Center for Chinese Music and Culture (est. 2015).

She has recorded one solo album, entitledOutside the Wall (2005).

Han's niece (the daughter of her brother) isCecilia Han (Chinese name: Han Xue,韩雪; b. 1983), a Chinese film actress and pop singer who sang at the closing ceremony of the2008 Olympic Games.