【tourist places in bangalore city】Across China: Amateur musicians revive Zhuang ethnic instrument with pop music
Dingding band records a music video at Jinlong Reservoir in Longzhou county,tourist places in bangalore city in the city of Chongzuo, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, March 25, 2024.(Guangxi Longzhou County Integrated Media Center/Handout via Xinhua) By Xinhua writer Tian Ying NANNING, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- In a scenic spot nestled among the verdant karst hills of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, a band of five men and a woman are putting on a pop concert, dressed in embroidered ethnic costumes. These amateur musicians of the Zhuang ethnic group are playing not only modern-day guitars, a keyboard and a drum kit, but also a couple of two-stringed Tianqin zithers, made from gourds and played like guitars. The Tianqin, literally meaning heavenly zither, was originally played by the Zhuang people as a ritual instrument, together with the chanting of good wishes. The instrument is currently experiencing a revival, with musicians making renewed efforts to woo young audiences. The six-member pop band, named Dingding, serves as the latest example. The six members, aged between 31 and 48, consist of three school teachers, a factory worker, a former media worker and a health worker. They live in Longzhou County in the city of Chongzuo, Guangxi, and formed the band last year out of a common enthusiasm for music. They rehearse twice a week and perform publicly in a scenic spot, as the local government strives to promote the art form by combining it with tourism. The Tianqin art form was included in the national-level intangible cultural heritage list in 2021. Efforts to preserve and revive this artistic treasure of the Zhuang ethnic group have been enormous, including efforts by local authorities to integrate Tianqin performances into primary and secondary school curricula, efforts by art colleges to refine the artistic delivery of the folk instrument, and grass-roots inheritors striving to pass down the authentic Tianqin performances to the next generations. The six-piece Dingding band takes its name from that of the Tianqin in the Zhuang ethnic language. Apart from fusing the iconic instrument of the Zhuang ethnic group with western instruments, the band also introduces Shan'ge, or "mountain song," a genre of Chinese folk song, into their pop music repertoire. Traditionally, aside from rituals, the Zhuang people sing Shan'ge ballads while playing the Tianqin. Shan'ge, sung in real-life scenery with improvised or scripted lyrics passed down by word of mouth, is another cultural heritage of the Zhuang ethnic group and a unique allure of Guangxi. "As the Tianqin is a relatively niche phenomenon, we decided to amplify the unique characteristics of Shan'ge and infuse them with more popular music elements, to make it more appealing to today's young folks," said Lu Qingcong, lead singer of Dingding. "Lei Ya," one of band's three original songs, features a segment of rap that represents the finger-guessing games at feasts of the Zhuang people. Released in March on several social media platforms, it has won acclaim from net users. "Although I don't understand the Zhuang language, the song is absolutely fantastic to listen to," wrote a subscriber on the popular social media platform Douyin. In another original song to celebrate the upcoming inclusion of Longzhou County into the country's bullet-train network, electronic music has been embedded into the song along with notes from the Tianqin. The novel combination of a traditional instrument and a pop music band has drawn interest from curious viewers. "When we perform at the scenic spot, tourists from outside the region inquire about the playing techniques and even the cost of a Tianqin instrument," said Lu. Speaking of the difficulties they've encountered in blending the Zhuang language, Tianqin and pop music, Lu said the timbre, frequencies and tones of Tianqin sometimes clash with other instruments. "We have to do some subtractions," said Lu. "When the Tianqin plays a dominant role in the singing segment, the bass and guitar should give way to the Tianqin." Qin Yan, one of the two Tianqin players in the band, commented, "In Longzhou County, people are speaking different Zhuang dialects with slight differences in pronunciation from town to town, which requires us to sort out the most fitting pronunciations to rhyme better and sound more natural." Their new song, which is to be released soon, draws inspiration from their childhood lullabies. "Our summer memories of cattail leaf fans, fireflies and starry nights, together with Zhuang ballads, will all feature in the new song," said Qin. "We think culture has its 'roots,' which means we cannot create things out of nothing," said Ma Shaogang, another Tianqin player and the band's composer. "Looking forward, we will go on creating pop songs based on the Tianqin and other Zhuang ethnic cultural elements, because that is where we come from, our 'roots'." Enditem (Liu Jie, Feng Shiqi, Zhang Qingshuo, Li Weixin, Guo Bingqian, Wu Xinni, Shi Peng and Zhong Yi also contributed to the story.)
- 最近发表
-
- El Salvador police chief dies among 9 killed in helicopter crash
- 面板厂商上半年业绩大面积向好,下半年仍需谨慎乐观
- 国行三星 Galaxy Z Fold6 / Flip6 折叠屏手机首次内置本地化地震预警
- 贵港移动开展《培推师授课技巧与课程优化能力提升》培训
- 大学里减肥,得到的比减掉的更多
- 赴20年之约|2024外贸智能化营销创新与增长峰会暨特易20周年庆@上海站启动报名
- 住高层就不用受蚊子骚扰了吗:答案让人绝望
- 宝马中国退出价格战 维护品牌价值:官方终于回应!
- Press conference held to highlight outcomes of 2024 FOCAC Summit
- 湖南公示省自科基金项目变更
- 随机阅读
-
- Picturesque autumn scenery of Chengde Mountain Resort
- 清朗浦江丨网络传播涉学生不良视频,立即删除、全面清理!
- 荣耀Magic V3发布会 5大新品价格汇总:从299元到10999元
- 7999元起!荣耀MagicBook Art 14发布 重量仅约1kg
- Lantern fair marking upcoming Mid
- 出行平台“决战”港交所
- 「私人飞机」龙头迎来IPO
- 年度折叠屏手机推荐:更轻薄更强大的荣耀Magic V3体验
- China steps up trade
- 宝马中国退出价格战 维护品牌价值:官方终于回应!
- 越强大越轻薄,荣耀Magic V3正式发布,售价8999元起
- 荣耀路由 5 发布:“艺术家居设计”Wi
- 中非合作论坛北京峰会开幕
- 范云军履新:任香港中旅集团总经理
- 中国燃气推进数字化运营实现高质量发展
- 出色好屏 高效随行!荣耀平板MagicPad2正式发布 售价2899元起
- 学校点名爸爸来开家长会:父亲育儿不能是“奢侈品”
- 三星李在镕在印度考察公司业务 将出席亚洲首富儿子婚礼
- 对比IPsec VPN,SD
- 最新花招,防不胜防!美团、饿了么回应
- 搜索
-
- 友情链接
-
- People commemorate Warsaw Uprising in Poland
- Xi chairs meeting on flood control, disaster relief
- Farming resumes 24 days after dike breach sealed in central China
- 专家分析丨以色列打击胡塞武装面临三重困境 美国难置身事外
- 委内瑞拉宣布撤回驻七国外交人员
- Summer scenery of Sanya, S China
- China's reform commitment presents fresh opportunities to foreign firms
- CPC leadership sets out economic priorities for 2nd half of 2024
- Exploring the Ancient Hutongs, a Symbol of Beijing
- Summer scenery of Sanya, S China