Liu Yijun

Liu Yijun, also known as Lao Wu (lit. "Old Five") is a Chinese musician and artist, best known for his work as the former lead guitarist for seminal Chinese progressive metal band Tang Dynasty.

He is often regarded as China's first guitar hero.

Liu was born in Tianjin, China.

Most sources list his birth year as 1962, although one source specifies his birthday as 10 January 1963.

"Lao Wu" was the fifth child in the family, and acquired the nickname early in his youth.

The family moved to nearby Langfang in 1971, during the Cultural Revolution.

Liu's older sister was involved in an arts-and-literature propaganda team; as a result, he grew up surrounded by musical instruments.

He studied the erhu for two years during primary school.

At the end of 1976, Liu got his first guitar.

Upon failing the cutoff for the gaokao by ten points, Liu realized that music was the only way he could make a living, and threw himself into practicing guitar up to fifteen hours a day.

Liu's father, who initially disapproved of his son's career path, changed his mind after witnessing Liu's dedication, and agreed to support him.

Around 1982 or 1983, Liu left Langfang and moved to Beijing, living in a house with fellow musician Liu Junli.

There, he continued to practice guitar, working odd jobs to make ends meet.

Liu lived in poverty for over four years, surviving on instant noodles and becoming hospitalized on at least one occasion due to malnutrition.

Liu formed a band called White Angel in 1986 with Zang Tianshuo, Liu Junli, Feng Maintain, and Cheng Jin.

The group released one album, Past Rock n' Roll in 1989, which sold a few hundred copies.

White Angel disbanded later that year when Liu Junli left to play bass in Cui Jian's band.

Liu briefly played in a group called Shixiao, a band set up to advertise a local travel agency of the same name.

Shixiao featured future Tang Dynasty members Gu Zhong and Zhao Nian at various points.

Soon after arriving in Beijing, Liu befriended future Tang Dynasty frontman Ding Wu.

Having heard that Ding played guitar, Liu searched all over Beijing on a borrowed bicycle until he tracked down the latter teaching basic art at Beijing's No. 132 Secondary School.

This meeting would prove pivotal; after the Tiananmen Square protests forced founding Tang Dynasty guitarist Kaiser Kuo to flee China, Ding Wu invited Liu to replace him.

Liu joined Tang Dynasty in October 1989.

In 1990, the band signed with Magic Stone Records, which launched a multinational marketing campaign to promote the band.

Tang Dynasty quickly attracted international attention.

In 1992, Spin magazine labeled Liu "hands-down the best guitarist in China" – an assessment often repeated by Chinese rock fans and journalists.

The band's self-titled debut album was released internationally in December 1992, and cemented Tang Dynasty's place in history as one of China's most influential rock bands.

Liu's "lightning-fast" guitar work was central to the band's sound, which combined Western metal and progressive rock with overt influences from Chinese literary, martial, and musical traditions.

Over the next three years, Tang Dynasty toured China, as well as overseas in Germany, Japan, and Hong Kong.

However, Liu eventually became dissatisfied with the band's music, feeling that it was "too Westernized" and "lacked originality".

While Tang Dynasty were writing their second album, he stopped playing guitar for about six months, leading his bandmates to think Liu had lost his mind.

The death of bassist Zhang Ju in May 1995 dealt a severe blow to the band.

Liu subsequently developed personal and artistic conflicts with Ding Wu, who asked him to leave Tang Dynasty in August 1996.

After leaving Tang Dynasty, Liu remained active as a guitar teacher.

His first solo album, 1997's Walking in the Fog, featured appearances from several of his students.

The title track and "Dance" (舞) were featured on the compilation China Fire III, released in 1998.

Liu released his second solo album, Return Again in 1999.

The music was largely instrumental and folk-oriented.

Both albums were released under the moniker "唐朝老五" (lit. "Tang Dynasty's Old Five").

In 2000, he helped establish the School of Modern Culture and Art, a contemporary music school in Beijing, where he served as principal.