American Mark Levine wears many hats in China-educator, author, volunteer, musician, sociologist, cross-cultural communicator, winner of the Chinese government's Friendship Award, and most noticeably, wide-brimmed.
The bushy-bearded 73-year-old is perhaps best known among the Chinese public for writing American country music-style songs about China that he performs in full cowboy regalia. He often sings and plays his guitar to the accompaniment of the erhu played by his friend, Fu Han, in their musical duo, In Side Out. Levine has staged hundreds of performances in 15 provinces, and one had an audience over 50,000, he says.
Fu Han recalls he once performed in a well-known bar in Beijing's Houhai area, and she joined him on stage with her erhu. "A group of tourists from northern Europe came up and watched and filmed us, and started singing with us. I realized a Chinese instrument and face can help better tell China's stories to foreigners. So, they officially became band mates. I'm the 'in' and he's the 'out' in In Side Out," she explains.
Levine plans to release a song book when he reaches 100 songs. He has so far written over 70 tunes that he calls "musical stories from my Chinese journey,, since he settled in Beijing in 2007 to take an occupation at Minzu University of China, where he still works, largely on account of its ethnic diversity.
Levine says two highlights during his time in the country have been winning the Friendship Award in 2014 and receiving his Chinese "green card" in 2016. Levine hopes it increases cross-cultural understanding. One of his friends says Levine is particularly apt for the task. "Mark is a perfect ambassador for humanity, so to speak, who has found his ideal place here," he says.