Striking a Chord in China

CHINESE music is as old as Chinese civilization. Traditional music is based on the pentatonic scale, and is melodic instead of harmonic. Despite the sheer dominance of Han culture, it is in fact a synthesis of the music of other nations that reveals the intricacies of influence by different ethnic groups. This explains the smooth transparency of violin music in China.     

哈雅乐团:蒙古族音乐为基础的世界音乐（英文）

正Wherever they are,they transport the audience to a place that is strange yet near and familiar.The music by Haya is alternative,and perhaps could be called marginal.In the words of band members:"Ours is international music based on Mongolian elements;""…inclusive,neither eastern nor western since the Mongols are essentially an international ethnic group."     

The Changing Face of Music in China

Having recently seen the LA thrash metal band Metallica in Shanghai,I’ve come to reflect on the fact that I’ve been in China for seven years,and I need to be honest—the live music scene here is pretty small.Having said that,I guess that I was spoiled in my native land of Australia,where I had a smorgasbord of live acts to see on any given night,and nothing short of an avalanche of national and international artists descending on Melbourne every summer.But here?Well,during seven years,I’ve seen only four bands.Let me elaborate.When I say"bands"I mean seeing people who write and perform their own music,opposed to those playing     

Miao Drum Dance Shi Shunmin: The Beat Goes on

正Shi Shunmin,born in 1949 in Jishou,capital of Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture,is a leading exponent of the Miao drum dance.She has perfected the art of this special dance,based on interpretations of natural movements in daily life and work combined with traditional choreography,resulting     

SOCIETY

<正>Getting a Head Start A Miao woman gets ready to take part in the Sisters’Festival in Taijiang,a county in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China’s Guizhou Province,on April 10.The ethnic festival,regarded as the Miao ethnic group’s Valentine’s Day,is held annually around the 15th day of the third lunar month.     

Iian Longxin＇s Musical Journey

Tian Longxin is known today as the ＂living soul of Tu-jia music＂ and ＂leader of aboriginal Tujia tblk music in China.＂ Born in Hunan Province, Tian is fluent in the Tujia language and an expert in Tujia folk music. Having devoted himself to preserving traditional Chinese culture, Tian has amassed a library, of more than 3.8 million char-acters on Tujia folk music and operas. He has also composed tunes and performed many times for international audiences. In 2008, he was recognized as an ＂inheritor of national intangible cultural heritage.＂     

Hitting a High Note

On September 21,2019,several hundred people gathered in a small music venue in Beijing to hear a Chinese band perform.When members of Click#15,a band of three playing funk music,appeared on the wooden stage,the wild screams from the crowd made it hard to imagine that some months ago,this band was hardly known.     

A Taste of the Southwest

Li Sulan gets up early in the morning to begin her daily routine.She prepares a breakfast of traditional rice noodles for her customers at a rural home inn where she is the owner.Li is of the Miao ethnic group from the Xijiang Miao Village of Leishan County in southwest China's Guizhou Province.Xijiang Village is home to wellpreserved aspects of aboriginal Miao culture,and is now a widely known cultural tour destination. "As many tourists from China and abroad learn about the Miao ethnic culture,we've seen a sudden boom in tourism in the past few years in our village," said Li with a smile.The flourishing tourist industry boosted the local service sector and revived the traditional Miao culture,bringing a host of benefits to local villagers like Li.     

Threading. Traditional Miao Beauty Treatment

The removal of facial hair by threading is a common practice among the Miao women of western Hunan. It is a coming-of-age ritual for Miao girls and a popular beauty treatment for Miao women. The practice started way back in history and employs a simple technique. An experienced practitioner can do it on her own face using just a hemp thread. She takes one end of a thread in her one hand holds the other between her teeth. The middle part of the thread is looped between the thumb and forefinger of the right hand, and this is rolled over the face. By opening and closing her hand, she alternately loosens and tightens the loop, twisting away the fine hair from the face and neck. Next she focuses on the the eyebrows, using the thread to trim the eyebrows into the desired shape, perhaps crescent moon or willow leaf. After threading, the skin becomes clean and clear. Studies show that twisting the fine hair off helps to smooth the skin, because subsequent regrowth is finer. Constant depilation make the follicles shrink, producing an enduringly beautiful skin.     

Danzhai,a Beauty Born of Culture and Nature

The Golden Pheasant Dance originated in Danzhai County, Guizhou Province. With their ingenuity and wisdom, the local Miao people here have striven against nature, creatively developing and maintaining a splendid traditional cultural heritage, including the Golden Pheasant Dance. Everybody in this area, male or female, old or young, is a good dancer. On the occasions of house-building or joyous festivals particularly, the lusheng reed pipe music starts up, people line up in a circle and start dancing, creating a scene of merriment and liveliness.     

The Rongjiang Miao： Deep in the Mountains

<正>Located at the southern foot of the Miaoling Mountains on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau,Rongjiang County is home to some 80,000 Miao people.Locked in bv towering mountains,they and their colorful folk customs have remained little known to the outside world.I spent one and a half months in Rongjiang discovering all I could about the ancient villages,costumes, festivals,and weddings of this branch of the Miao.The story represents the first comprehensive coverage of the residents there.     

BEYOND BEYOND BEYOND

IN 1983, a band in Hong Kong named itself Beyond, and along with hundreds of other newly formed bands, tried to make their name in the world of music. Two decades later, in August 2003, they came to Beijing, on their BEYOND BEYOND BEYOND tour, marking the first stadium concert on China's mainland since SARS.     

Badai：a living fossil of Miao History and Culture

＂＇Badai＂ is the name the Miao give to their shamans, who officiate at sacrificial and customary rituals and indeed all ceremonies for Miao social events. The culture of rituals is called ＂Badai culture,＂ and it holds a significant place in Miao culture. The process of rituals and ceremonies, the ＂living fossil＂ of Miao history and culture so to speak, enabling the Miao people of today to inherit their ancestors＇ culture and social conventions. A ceremony may involve from seven to 36 Badai, and it is they who have taken up the torch from their ancestors, perpetuating the survival of the ancient culture. Though predominantly an oral tradition, the words of the rituals have now been brought together in a 176-chapter, 2,866-section ＂classic.＂ It is an authentic record of Miao history and culture, with copious information about Miao religion, philosophy, history, arts, medicine, and health preservation.     

CD SHELF

The double Buddhist music CD Loving Kindness and Wisdom is peaceful, calm, and spiritually uplifting. On the first disc are chants by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Faye Wong's mentor. Faye sings the background melodies to the chanting on the second disc. If you are interested in Buddhism or simply like to relax to peaceful music, this album is worth a listen.     

彝人制造:来自大凉山的声音（英文）

正Yiren Zhizao(Made by Nuosu Yi)is the earliest,most accomplished band of the Yi from Liangshan.Their original,direct melodies led the music parade of their era.A minority singing group from the mountains that formed shortly after China’s reform and opening up,the band produced on stage a cool Yi style that will be dif?cult for successors to surpass.     

A Vibrant Ancient City

LIJIANG is a small city on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau in southern China with an 800-year history. Word of its ancient language and music, and unique natural scenery has spread over the decades, and Lijiang is now known throughout the world. It was added to UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage List in 1997, and is one of the ten most favored destinations for Chinese tourists.     

鼓藏节（英文）

<正>The"Guzang Festival"is the most sacred and grandest festival honoring ancestors and gods of the Miao People.Traditionally the ceremony is organized on the lineageclan basis every 12 years,with each festival lasting three years.The photos feature a roundtable dinner in Xijiang Town,Leishan County,Guizhou Province during the Guzang Festival.     

Tian Longxin's Musical Journey

正Tian Longxin is known today as the "living soul of Tujia music" and "leader of aboriginal Tujia folk music in China."Born in Hunan Province,Tian is fluent in the Tujia language and an expert in Tujia folk music.Having devoted himself to preserving traditional Chinese culture,     

岫岩皮影戏:中国最古老的道具戏（英文）

正A few bamboo poles erected on a brick platform,a piece of white cloth hanging in front,and a bright light behind are all that is needed for the stage.When puppeteers take out the flat,jointed figures and play music,the magic of the shadow play begins.Xiuyan shadow puppetry was included in 2012 in     

Signed Up

ROCK music doesn't rock China. And making money from rock music is no mean feat in a land plagued with music pirates. Still, since its founding in December 1997, Modern Sky, the largest music indielabel in China, has published over 50 albums, making it the most prodigious recorder of indie music in China. With two dozen artists on its books the label releases 20 albums a year. Margins on album sales remain wa-