Xian Xinghai, born on June 13, 1905, in Portuguese Macau, was a prominent Chinese composer whose work significantly influenced Chinese music by integrating Western classical elements. His early life was marked by frequent relocations with his mother after the death of his father. At six, he moved to Singapore, where his musical talent was first recognized at Yangzheng Primary School. Xian's education continued in Guangzhou and later at the National Music Institute at Peking University and the Shanghai Conservatory, where he studied violin and piano.

In 1929, Xian traveled to Paris to study composition, becoming the first Chinese student admitted to the Paris Conservatory, where he studied under Paul Dukas. His compositions from this period include "Wind," "Song of a Wanderer," and "Violin Sonata in D Minor." Returning to China in 1935 during the Japanese occupation, Xian used his music as a form of protest, composing works that encouraged resistance during the Second Sino-Japanese War.

Xian became the dean of the Music Department at the Lu Xun Institute of Arts in Yan'an in 1938, where he composed the renowned "Yellow River Cantata." In 1940, he traveled to the Soviet Union to score a documentary film but was trapped there due to World War II. Despite his deteriorating health, he continued to compose patriotic music until his death from tuberculosis in Moscow on October 30, 1945, at the age of 40. His legacy is honored with institutions and memorials, including a conservatory and concert hall in Guangzhou and a statue in Macau.