Harmony through the generations with folk

By Huang Feifei and Huang Zhaohua (China Daily Guangxi Bureau)
Updated: 2010-05-20 16:48

The minority Zhuang's multi-tone folk song has a long history and special place in their traditional culture.

Wen Guixin is a champion singer of the multi-tone folk song in Guangxi and learnt the skill from his father and has now passed it on to his music-teaching son.

The rare form of singing has been well received by audiences around the world including Japan, Korea, Egypt, and Finland.

In 2009, a Zhuang chorus in traditional costume performed at the Southeast Asian Culture and Food Festival.

The chorus had one hundred and eighty singers, and was divided into three sections.

When the different tones are combined, the magic of the marinated harmony is uplifting. History

The history of the Zhuang three-tone folk song can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and was prevalent in the Ming and Qing periods (1368-1910).

Well known songs include Da hong huan, Deng Huan Huan, and Er Shi Si Xiao.

However, the technique relies on improvisation and so most songs are spontaneous.

Traditionally, boys and girls use it to show affection for each other.

In 1980 Fan Ximu, an expert in Guangxi folk culture found that the art was still alive in Mashan County in the north of China, which is a region rich in folk culture.

Various activities like the tea-picking dance, singing, and the dragon dance are still enjoyed there.

In 2008, the Mashan County Culture, Tourism and Food Festival held a folk singing event, which proved to be really popular and brought multi-tone singing back into the popular conscience.