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Hua'er: A roaming song blooming on a barren land
04:04

Hua'er is a unique type of folk music popular in northwest China's provincial regions of Gansu, Ningxia and Qinghai. It's known as the "soul of the northwest" and evokes a sense of romance that's lost in bitterness. Ma Fengshan belongs to the 70s generation. He has had a career in sales, served as a village head, worked on construction sites, and has been both a driver and tree-planter. For him, Hua'er singers roam the mountains seeking inspiration. In this dry and cracked yellow landscape a green hill can become the subject of a Hua'er song. It's something that blooms in this barren existence.

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