"He (Xian Xinghai) hoped we'd find his family and tell them how he lived in Almaty, and that his final works would one day return to his motherland," said Baldyrgan Baikadamova, daughter of Kazakh musician Bakhytzhan Baikadamov.
Her voice carried the weight of a promise made decades ago -- to honor the legacy of Chinese composer Xian Xinghai, whom her family had embraced as their own.
Baikadamova recalled Xian's deepest wish - to someday carry these Kazakh-inspired compositions, each note brimming with gratitude for the people who sheltered him, back to China.
Produced by Xinhua Global Service
