The Mongolian instrument matouqin is the focus of a symphony orchestra from the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. Provided to China Daily

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He has been devoted to exploring many more possibilities for the instrument. About five years ago, he was given a chance to realize his dream when he was approached by the local government to found a troupe. "We want to break the conventional impression about the matouqin and give it a new life."

When he came up with the idea of creating a symphony orchestra, the other musicians doubted his plan - combining the two different cultures seemed odd to them.

After three years of preparation and experimentation, the Matouqin Symphony Orchestra of Uxin Banner was born in 2013. It features musicians with an average age of 26.

For Chagan, who is now based in Beijing and has composed for more than 40 films and TV series, the most challenging part was re-arranging Western classical music and finding instrument makers to produce the matouqin of different sounds.

"We want the instrument to be taken to an international audience, but the core is to keep the root of our culture and focus on the matouqin," he says.