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music. I enjoy playing with them because I can learn new ideas.” During the confinement period, Liu says she was able to practice more, and it was a pause she says she actually greatly appreciated. It also allowed her to focus more on teaching plans for her students (her other part-time work). When she plays alone, she says some compositions are sad. “I start to think about my childhood, my hometown, or years when I was in China, because [life] really changed a lot when I came to Europe.” She does acknowledge, however, why for others “who live for concerts, it’s a catastrophe for them because they don’t have the chance to play”. But she encourages others to explore new types of music. “Nowadays, the internet is easy to access, and you can see musicians around the world. They do exchanges... people just enjoy the music. Also for the listeners, they try to listen to new things.” An emotional connection
She currently has three guzhengs, one which she mainly uses for concerts, another smaller one half the normal size, which she can easily transport with her when she goes on holiday. She received another one from an elderly guzheng player in Paris, who told her he wanted to give her the instrument, knowing she would be able to take good care of it. “Normally there are 21 strings, but this one has 25 because it’s an older model, but it’s a special one, with history.” Liu says she has a special relationship with each instrument, calling each a “friend” with which one develops an emotional bond. “Maybe you first buy a guzheng, it’s very young and hard to play, but [then] it’s like there’s a story, a relationship you build... after that you don’t want to play another one.” ×
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Natalie A. Gerhardstein Mike Zenari
The Walferdange Rugby Club’s ladies team is tackling the covid-19 crisis
Mind the gap Playing contact sports in Luxembourg is challenging at the best of times. But add covid-19 into the mix and it’s a whole new ballgame. At the start of the pandemic in March, team sports stopped and strict physical distancing measures entered into force in Luxembourg. For contact sports like rugby and lacrosse, this could not have come at a worse time. “We were doing really well last season. Suddenly, the championship had to be stopped,” says Corinne Brever, vice president of the Walferdange Rugby Club. While training restarted in July, it was a far cry from what players were used to. During the first phase, passing, tackling and training as a large group were off the cards. Much of the focus was on fitness and, even then, players had to train in bubbles to limit the chances of spreading the virus. “We had to keep a two-metre distance while running. It was very strange,” says Brever. “Everyone was
so happy to be back and see one another even if they couldn’t play.” Players and coaches are working hard to regain skills and fitness lost because of the lockdown. It seems a little unfair that rugby clubs in Germany and Belgium, where the Luxembourg club’s teams play, were able to resume contact training sooner. But Brever is also concerned about how the new season will play out, and when it will start, since much will depend on the infection rate. “We hope that the championships will start in October... If we start too late, they might prolong the season. Or we play more games and have less rest time to r ecover and maybe injuries come more quickly,” she says. Another concern is the dependence of Luxembourg on playing teams abroad. During lockdown Germany closed its borders and from July to August visitors from Luxembourg were only permitted if they had a negative → covid-19 test. If in future countries