Folk musicians strike a chord for poverty reduction in revolutionary base

XI'AN - With a white towel wrapped around his head and dressed in a sheepskin coat and baggy pants, Liu Jun plays an old farmer in a musical drama staged every day in Shaanxi province.

"The hall can seat nearly 500 people. Sometimes it is hard to buy a ticket. I didn't expect our show could be so well-received," Liu said.

The 35 year old is a folk singer. He and his troupe perform traditional folk music and dance in the city of Yan'an, a former revolutionary base of the Communist Party of China.

Influenced by his father, Liu has been fond of singing and dancing since he was little. "I used to learn from the elders in the village, who sang and gave performances when doing farm work and grazing, or when households would hold wedding or birthday ceremonies," Liu said.

He had to drop out of school because of poverty at the age of 15 when his father died. Fortunately, a folk art troupe discovered his singing talent and invited him to join.

The folk music which Liu is good at originated on the Loess Plateau, where people have long struggled with poverty due to the extreme climate and fragile environment.

It was not until the 1940s that more people got to know the art form after a group of art researchers collecting folk music from across the country found the unique northern Shaanxi music, said Mi Hongqing, a member of the provincial folk artist association.

After the country's reform and opening-up drive in the late 1970s, grassroots folk music started to appear on stage. Since then, an increasing number of folk singers have emerged.

Liu's troupe has created a musical drama, combining various northern Shaanxi folk arts including folk songs and the waist drum dance. It tells the story of three generations living on the Loess Plateau fighting poverty.

"We have given more than 200 performances. The show not only promotes the traditional arts but also helps improve our living standards," Liu said.

To help talented young people, Liu established a folk music school in 2006, providing training for impoverished students and offering them job opportunities.

"Many poor families were unable to afford the expensive tuition fees of professional music schools," Liu said.

He Dong, 28, graduated from Liu's school in 2007 and has become a folk singer, making a name for himself after performing at China's annual Spring Festival Gala in 2015.

His childhood was similar to Liu's, and he said attending Liu's school was the right choice, which not only helped him find a career but also helped him lead a better life.

Xinhua