Wild Children reborn after long hiatus

Wild Children, a band from Lanzhou in China's northwestern Gansu province, is legendary for its fusion of local folk songs played on Western instruments such as the guitar, accordion and harmonica.

Founded in 1995 by Suo Wenjun and Zhang Quan, the group disbanded in 2004, when Suo died of cancer at 34. Zhang, the band's lead vocalist and guitarist, left Beijing unable to bear the loss of his lifelong friend and fellow musician.

Nearly a decade later, however, Wild Children has returned under the banner of Tree Music, a Beijing-based independent record label that will produce the unnamed new album.