Singers Hu Xia (left) and George Lam Photo: Courtesy of Singing with Legends

What is it like when China's traditional opera elements meet pop music? Music show Singing with Legends, which aired its final episode of its third season on China's Dragon TV on Sunday night, gave a clear answer through performances by duos made up of young, middle-aged and veteran singers. 

Chinese pop songs like "Like Wakening From A Dream" and "We All Have A Home" were staged with traditional elements such as the Beijing dialect with drum accompaniment, Huangmei Opera and Yuju Opera by the duo Da Zhang Wei and Wang Sulong. 

According to show producer Chen Hong, the core of the music program is "evolution, not change." 

"Under the theme of One Song, One Story for cross-generation singers, we hope to present classic Chinese music as well as the efforts of these veteran musicians," she said. 

For musicians, the show is also a significant attempt to incorporate traditional elements into pop music, which can instill new power and confidence into China's traditional culture, according to the show's music director Dong Jianjian. 

Additionally, Dong also mentioned that the show is also a platform for the singers, regardless of their age, to experiment with something they never thought possible before. 

From "my" song that only belongs to the original singer to "our" songs, the show has served as a bridge that connects veteran and young singers while touching people's hearts with music. 

Making its third season debut on Dragon TV on September 19, Singing with Legends displayed a new upgraded model for similar programs in both lineup and presentation. 

Veteran singers like George Lam from China's Hong Kong and young performers like Zhang Bichen and Hu Xia along with big name singers like Penny Tai from Malaysia and Xue Zhiqian performed on the show. As to presentation, no matter if it was the blind matching of singers or the pairing sections, they all raised people's interest by introducing unexpected changes to the way music is performed on TV. 

The highlight of the season was the joint performance from 74-year-old singer Lam and young singer Hu Xia, singing Lam signature martial arts song "A Man Should Strengthen Himself." 

The original song, the theme song of China's Hong Kong director Tsui Hark's epic series Once Upon a Time in China about Chinese marital arts master Wong Fei-hung, inspired millions of Chinese moviegoers with Wong's chivalrous and courageous willingness to save the country and its people. 

Adding a suona horn, a Chinese woodwind instrument, the performance of Lam and Hu took audiences on a martial arts journey through the world in which Wong lived. 

Additionally, the mental journeys of these musicians as they chased their dreams were also presented on the show.

A stage accident in his early years seriously damaged Lam's ear, but he continued chasing his music dreams without hesitation. 

On the show, Lam said, "There is no special reason, it's just that I loved music too much. Everything I want to express is in music."