He uses the guzheng, which he learned on his own decades ago, to create a contrasting sound: soothing guzheng strings and hard rock beats.

Jonathan Campbell, who has been in China for five years promoting local bands and documenting Chinese rock history, in 2000, chose Xie's album, Cold-Blooded Animal as one of the top five Chinese albums of all time.

"If you've seen this guy play, you know it's very natural. There were a lot of bad, derivative grunge bands when I first appeared, but this guy took it on and made it his own," Campbell wrote in his book, Red Rock: The Long, Strange March of Chinese Rock & Roll.

"His live performance is breathtaking," says Shen Lihui, the founder and owner of Modern Sky Record, a record label based in Beijing. Two years ago, Shen offered Xie a contract.

"The live music market in China is taking off but is in disorder," says Shen, who also founded the Strawberry Music Festival in 2009. "I believe Xie can lead the young bands to another level."

As a rock musician, Xie doesn't look at the fame or position he holds in the music scene. The priority now is to rehearse with the band and try out new materials, such as Peking Opera, which he learned when he was 5.

He sees rock as the most suitable guise for him, though. He's been sure about that since the age of 15, when his guitar teacher showed him a picture of long-haired rockers from Beijing.

"I guess they were early rock bands such as Tang Dynasty and Black Panther," he recalls. "At that moment, I found my spirit."

Contact the writer at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn