Ethnic melodies cherished, echo globally
2025-03-26 13:58 Xinhua
Yang started her touch with the Dong performance art at age six and learned the grand song in primary school. She gave an innovative performance of her ancestors' music by joining hands with rock music during their shows at the opening ceremony of the Guizhou Village Super League.
“Positive changes and innovations make the grand song of the Dong well-known. Thus, traditional Chinese music goes further and is alive,“ said Yang.
Mu Qian, who got his PhD in ethnomusicology from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, was one of the promoters of the grand song of the Dong, making it echo in ears outside China.
In 2019, a music album titled “Wanp-Wanp Jangl Kap“ in Dong ethnic dialect, namely “Everyone, Listen Close,“ made a wave of Chinese ethnic minorities' music on the world stage. It was selected by the Transglobal World Music Chart as the Best Asia & Pacific album of the 2019-2020 season and broadcast by more than 10 radio stations.
The music album producer, Mu, got the golden chance to promote this art form globally, bringing the chorus of Dong touring to several U.S. cities and holding 10 concerts in September of the same year when the album was published.
Welcoming a recent handshake between “Ne Zha 2“ and the grand song of the Dong, Mu feels pleasure to see the mix of all art forms, thus raising the popularity of the grand song.
“I expect more original works by Dong artists to appear in the music market. Seeing their trails and marks on world stages, I also anticipate a delicate balance between ethnic characteristics and market trends,“ Mu added.