Living in Xishuangbanna, southwest China's Yunnan Province, the Jinuo ethnic group was the last of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the Chinese government in 1979. The Jinuo people live in the mountains and are closely connected with nature. Making good use of bamboo is an indispensable part of their lives. About 95 percent of their houses are made of bamboo, as are their kitchen tools. Also, their traditional ethnic instruments, qike and bugu, are also made of bamboo. The Jinuo people play these instruments as a way to communicate and celebrate when the hunters catch something. Check out the video to enjoy the special melody.

About Journeys in Nature: Melodies of Nature Series

Xishuangbanna in southwest China's Yunnan Province is home to one of China's largest tropical rainforests with impressive biodiversity. Multiple ethnic groups, such as Dai, Hani and Lahu, live there. Doudou, a wildlife photographer and an environmentalist, came to the forest with friends from different walks of life to collect the sounds of local fauna and flora, as well as the sounds of indigenous ethnic instruments, to explore the human-nature relationship.

For more: 

Melodies of Nature Series Ep. 2: Xishuangbanna, a mysterious land

Melodies of Nature Series Ep. 1: Collecting the sounds of nature

Melodies of Nature Series Ep. 3: Listening to the humming in darkness

(Cover image a video screenshot; video by CGTN Nature film crew)

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