“Legends of Kelaxin Grassland” is a large-scale zhonghu concerto written by composor Zhou Cheng-Long at the invitation of Hong Kong Wang Kwong Chinese Orchestra and renown erhu master Xiao Pai-Yong. Tailored to the performer’s style and performing habits, this composition adapts elements of Mongolian music and uses Zhonghu as solo instrument. This composition can be considered as one of the most significant large-scale concerto with zhonghu as solo instrument in the history of traditional Chinese music. The story behind the birth of “Legends of Kelaxin Grassland” triggered author’s interest to conduct his research, and this research aims to contribute to the broader study of music which incorporates Mongolian music elements into Zhonghu performance.

This research consists of three parts: a thorough analysis of the composition, an interview with the composer and the author’s own interpretation. It is important to note that Mongolian music style is inextricably linked to its grassland culture, and the characteristics can be found in its short and long of which are often played by the traditional Morin Khuur and four-stringed. By defining the characteristics of the Mongolia music, the author continues to analyze the mode, rhythm, and performing techniques of “Legends of Kelaxin Grassland”. In the interpretation part, the author combines the features of the Mongolian music style summarized in the previous part and adds his own understanding with reference to the performance from the premier soloist.

The results of the research show that “Legends of Kelaxin Grassland” uses the sonata as the main structure of the composition. Additionally, it is notable that in terms of the tone and the scale, the composition is inseparable from the Mongolian music style. In the rhythm and performing techniques, a significant amount of Mongolian music instruments and features such as Morin Khuur and four-stringed are used. The research reconfirms “Legends of Kelaxin Grassland” as a large-scale Zhonghu concerto which adopts the Mongolian music style. This research not only provides readers an in-depth study of the music of Mongolia, but also provides author’s own point of view in hopes to contribute to the studies of “Legends of Kelaxin Grassland”.