A mission to save rhyme

Joshua Dunlop, a 35-year-old oral English teacher from the United States currently working at the Foreign Languages College of Shanghai Normal University, is a loyal fan of Chinese musician Xiao He, who, together with the Nursery Rhyme Program Band, connected him to lullabies, nursery rhymes and folk songs born decades and even centuries ago in China.

Always standing front and center at the show, Dunlop and his wife have been showing their support to He, the band and their project, the Nursery Rhyme Program, which helps preserve and share the valuable bits and pieces in local folk cultures that most people probably never heard of or knew about.

Xiao He, a 50-year-old singer-songwriter whose real name is He Guofeng, has been working on this project since 2018. With the aim of saving old nursery rhymes and folk songs from extinction, He and the band members have been searching for elders across China, listening to their life stories, and discovering faded, old melodies.

By 2024, they had visited 24 cities nationwide, meeting more than 750 elders and recording nearly 1,200 pieces of original soundtracks. More than 90 songs have been revitalized at these musicians' hands, among which 15 pieces are recorded in their new album Rowing on the Wind: Two Eggs for a Nursery Rhyme, released in May.

"The project was initiated as a 'public art' in Beijing in 2018", but it was broader than just saving nursery rhymes, recalls He.

"We were invited by a gallery to present a show. We noticed many elders were leaving the city center that used to be their home and then becoming less seen, along with their lives and voices. We hope to bring those people and things back into public view with music."

This led to the unexpected unearthing of nursery rhymes. Motivated by the experience, the team embarked on a nationwide journey of discovery in 2018 to find more rhymes in different cities and villages, presenting around 30 music shows along the way.

"This project was never about profit or basking in the attention. One big motivation that keeps our members going is the 'childlike innocence' rooted in our hearts," says He.

He indicated that the name of the album, Rowing on the Wind, was inspired by Yang Wanli, a poet during the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Yang's poem depicts a vivid scene where two children enjoy trying to capture the wind with umbrellas and using it to propel their boat, which He felt was similar to what they were doing with the project.

Two Eggs for a Nursery Rhyme refers to the team's true story during the journey. They had an unusual but highly effective idea. He would go to the local markets, buy eggs and set up a roadside stall with a sign that said, "Two eggs for a nursery rhyme".

"There are countless stories behind the 15 tracks on the album. We hope the songs, along with the pure innocence they represent, can breathe fresh air into the world we are living in," He says.

Nursery rhymes have diverse categories, He adds, such as games, educational messages and lullabies. The album includes four lullabies: Changsha Lullaby from Hunan province, Pudong Lullaby from Shanghai, the Cantonese Child, Sleep Well from Guangdong province, and Walk Softly from Fujian province.

He notes that they do not care too much about the "function" or "sense of purpose" of these nursery rhymes.

Instead, they treat the songs more as good "natural" music, which they hope better connects them with audiences.

"Although some of the tracks were born more than 100 years ago, such as Autumn Willows and Row Your Boat, the lyrics and melodies are still beautiful with high standards. Many nursery rhymes were born naturally in local cultures and in the interactions between the parent and child, with distinct features but no commercial intention at all. It is especially precious in the current context," He says.

Following the album release, He and the band presented two shows on Children's Day in Shanghai — one in the afternoon for the children and the other in the evening for adults and kids.

Unlike the stereotype that nursery rhymes are designed for children, hundreds of adults in the audience also enjoyed the performances — including Dunlop.

Dunlop shared with China Daily that he liked the final song Row Your Boat and enjoyed hearing all the different children's choirs singing with He and the band onstage.

"It is a wonderful experience for the children and a great way to share this culture with the younger generations. Hopefully they'll remember this moment forever. And it's a downright entertaining show for the children and the adults alike," says Dunlop.

In particular, he points out that the album includes an English version of the story behind the songs, which helps foreign audiences understand the project and the team's efforts.

"Music is something beyond materialism, and it can connect people to all kinds of information. When you immerse yourself in a new place and culture, you will be naturally infected by their emotions and fit into their world without the need to understand their languages. That is the most important and beautiful part of music," says He.

"This is also a critical motivation that drives us consistently on the project. We believe music has the power to positively expand our limited reality and thinking, making us go farther and easier," he adds.