1.      What reasons motivated you to create a band? How did you find Hong, Zhen and Lucy?
Ling: The love for Rock music, actually my reasons are not that different from the majority of the young men who have chosen this path. (response to second question) In the early stages, when the band configuration of Silver Ash was ever changing, I guess you can say it was fate.

2.    What are the things that motivated you to continue? Or what are the things that had the most effect in your life?
L: I don't know anymore, but thinking back, I was stunned by Hide's visual style. Started to like VR and Luna Sea. Before, I did not pay much attention to J rock. But I was stunned by their perfect visual style, also their uncommon music, so I wanted to also become like that. So basically let's just say it is a pursuit of a childhood dream. I can't really describe it any further in any concrete sense.

3.    So far, are you guys happy with the band that you formed and the things that you guys have done?
L:  As a whole, it is pretty good, but lately it has been difficult to enjoy the joys of working. Because it is just too hard, being a bandleader is just too difficult.Now the only thing that brings me pleasure is to stand on the stage and singcontinuously. Actually during the performance in Cheng Du, once my brain lacked oxygen because I sang so hard, and I fainted, but because it was for only a short time, so no one seem to notice. But thinking about it afterwards, it was pretty dangerous. But that feeling is terrific.(referring to the singing, not the fainting part)

4.    Ling, is it a must for you to practice singing everyday? Usually for how long? Does SA get together to practice often? Where?
L: Not too long, because there are just too many various kinds of things to take care of. It really shouldn't be that way; recently I have also chided myself for that. But there are just too many things that require my attention. No one in China knows how the various things in Visual Kei should be, the company doesn't even know. So I am responsible for a lot of the things. There's no way out of it. The band usually practice together three times a week.

5.    How does the Chinese people view you guys? Do they accept you? Has SA ever encounter any awkward situations? Can you talk about how VR is received in China? Foreigners are hard to imagine these kinds of things.
L:  Even in Japan, there are a lot of people who doesn't accept VR. I usually don't care about other people's views, I don't want to be effected by other's views. There are a lot of awkward situations, but they are not necessary related to the fact that we are VR. There are a lot of people in China who can't even accept rock music. VR is like a lot of other new things in China. And well be criticized for no good reason, as a whole, the fan's level are higher than the media's.(here, Ling is talking about fans level of acceptance of VR) But I don't like the fact that a lot of people mixing  VR and Cosplay, homosexuality or various other things together. This is very laughable . and I also felt helpless about it.

6.    What does Ling think of over sea fans?
L:  Please don't mind our nationality, whether we can be a successful band has nothing to do with what country we are from. To be honest, I am very thankful for all the oversea fans that have been paying attention to us. To me, you guys are an unexpected joy.

7.    So, can you read English? If over sea fans want to write to you, can they do so in English?
L:  ^^ I don't think there is too big of a problem reading them. But I  don't do so well when it comes to expressing myself.

8.    In This album, which song does Ling like the most? Which song has the deepest meaning to you?
L:  I think no one would have guessed, but my favorite is <<Estrange>>.Originally there is a full band version. This is the very first song that I completed all by myself. It was written a long time ago, when we performed
this song a long time ago, a lot of people liked it. But don't know why, the band members don't seem to like it. Or perhaps say the feeling is uncomfortable. So this time we only recorded an acoustic guitar  version. I love the lyrics in this song, always felt that it is very hard to find that kind of feeling anymore.

9.    What is SA's goal? To break out of China? Or do you have any plans?
L:  The goal is, PERFORM, PERFORM AND PERFORM some more!! Perform a lot!!!Also would like to get out of the country to see the outside world,especially Japan. But there aren't any opportunities right now. Our  plan is still to perform. It is very hard to find a suitable place to perform in China. Also the fee is a big problem.

10.   A lot of VR bands started to shed their visual look after they have become successful, has SA ever think about leaving the VR path?
L:  I think the visual style is determined by the things that wanted to be expressed during different stages. And also Visual is not only about heavy makeup. I don't think we will totally shed the visual look, but there will be changes. I think this has nothing to do with being successful.

11.   Does Ling know any musical instruments? Else what do you use to write songs?
L: I know Guitar and a bit keyboard .Actually my dream is to become a guitarist, but I'm just very bad at it -__-.

12.   How long has SA members known each other?
L: Not very long, basically we met before the forming of the band, but Mr.Hong is a famous bassist even before that. Before meeting him, I have read an interview about him on a Chinese rock and roll magazine. At that  time I thought even thought he can play the bass very well, but he defiantly wouldn't be suitable for Silver Ash. Can't imagine, in the end, he become the bassist for the band.

13.   Has SA taken any JVR bands as an example and goal to strive for?
L:  The answer should be no, because of our surroundings, era, and  various conditions and also music style, there isn't anything that's similar.

14.   What are SA's plan for 2002? When we you have another CD out?
L:  Right now we are writing new songs; also everyone's practicing very hard. Hopefully we'll have an even better performance next time. I am thinking about, recording the song that we have been singing in our  recent
performances <<Die Bian>>, (butterfly metamorphoses) into a single, but there are no solid plans currently.

15.   Are SA's cloths tailor made or DIY? Are they designed and made by Ling?
L:  I basically did half of the work in making the cloths for our recent performance. Before I work with the various clothing designers. But never ended with anything satisfactory. Also the fee is quite high. So this time,
I perform most of the work starting from basic design, purchasing materials,all the way until the final production. So in order to finish the cloths before our show, a week before the show, every night I worked at the
tailorshop until 3, 4 o'clock in the morning. Of course, the cutting of the material had to be depended on the professional tailors, they are also very tired. It is all mainly because I'm too picky about the little details. A lot of things could not be expressed in the initial designs, so we could only do the various redesigns as we were making them. We finally finished at 2 o'clock in the morning the night before the show. After the performance
that day I can barely stand steady. so next time I will think of another way to make the cloths.

16.   Did Ling used to study arts?
L:  I studied Chinese painting when I was three, the teacher saw that I have a talent for it and was put into the advanced class, but because everyone else there were older than me, so it was not fitting for me and so I  gave up on it. When I was in elementary school, I have always been the representative for our Art class [understand?] Because I need to represent the whole school during art completions, so the teacher views highly of  me.When I graduated, the teacher told me that I must continue on with my  arts,so I could apply to the Central Arts Academy [China's most prestigious academy in arts, very hard to get in, it once was my dream to get in to it].
That's until I started to like rock music in junior high. I gave up on arts.So now I basically don't touch the drawing pen, except for the occasional manga drawing.

17.   Lastly, can you say a few final words to the over sea fans?
L: Please use a more tolerant heart to view this world, nationality,color of the skin, language are all unimportant. All you need is to have the heart to feel, any music can bring you unexpected joy.

p.s. I suggest everyone to go and find the violin performance of <<Liang Zhu>>, the English should be "Butterfly Lovers". I was listening to this song throughout the entire recording phase.
 

Note: the words in ( ) are side notes put in by translator for clarity.