Ethnic groups folk art warps up

After four days of grueling competition, the 4th China Ethnic Minority Folk Art dropped its curtain Thursday in Guiyang, the capital of Southwest China's Guizhou Province.

35 programs from 15 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions have participated in the event.

Six pieces including Xu Zao, also known as "double songs" from the Shui ethnic group, and a Gesar ballad piece called "A Battle of Gesar" performed by Tibetan artists won the top prize of the competition.

Xu Chen, a performer born in 1990s China, walked home with the award for Best New Comer.

Judges say they are glad to see the younger generation carrying on the Chinese folk art tradition and moving forward with creative minds.

All the programs are derived from ancient people's field work, ceremonial occasions, or religious worship. Many of the ethnic ballads have made it onto the country's intangible cultural heritage list.

The Ethnic Minority Folk Art event was inaugurated in 1993. So far, it has been successfully held three times.

Top award-winning artists will now head for Shanghai to perform at the World Expo.