Former UNESCO intern wants Guizhou village to be world heritage site

"Most of the Dong singers in the village choose to earn money by performing in other tourist areas in Guizhou and the nearby Guangxi province," she said. "Only old people and children are left in the villages."

"With the help of my alma mater, I have collected about 34,000 yuan for the Dong choir made up of young villagers," she said. "Now, 17 young singers have come back and joined in the choir."

"At the beginning, there were only three members, but we still preserved," Xu said. "Now more young villagers are choosing to return to their hometown."

"As a non-native, I can only try my best to provide support to the villagers," Xu said. "The heavy responsibility of cultural inheritance will ultimately fell upon themselves and I believe they can carry it forward."