The festival that’s preserving Tibetan folk music

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It's August 2018, and on a vast expanse of grassland in northern Sichuan Province, thousands of music fans are gathering for the third Yak Music Festival. Among the performers they're coming to see is Tibetan singer Gong Bo Sang Zhou, one of the most popular acts at the previous year's festival.

The Yak Music Festival provides a stage for folk musicians from the local ethnic minorities. Held annually in Hongyuan County, 3,600 meters above sea level, it has become a celebration of the traditional cultures of the Qiang, Tibetan and Yi ethnic minorities who have been living in the area for hundreds of years.

“I grew up on the grassland here. This is my home. I used to sing aloud when pasturing cattle with my neighbor, and I learned traditional Tibetan songs from the elders,” says Gong Bo Sang Zhou. “I love singing, and it's my duty to pass on Tibetan music.”

The third Yak Music Festival attracted thousands of tourists from around China and the world. /CGTN Photo

However, in recent decades, folk music has largely been marginalized by the mainstream music industry in China. Its appeal is limited, since without knowledge of their cultural and historical background it's hard to appreciate the songs. Also, the ethnic language, and therefore the message, of the lyrics is generally incomprehensible to Mandarin speakers.

Thanks to Gong Bo Sang Zhou and others like him, Tibetan music is slowly gaining a wider audience. He travels around China, from small villages in Tibet to large cities like Chengdu and Hong Kong, performing in local bars, and talking to and learning from fellow musicians.

Gong Bo Sang Zhou sings in the street, dressed in a traditional Tibetan costume. /CGTN Photo

He acknowledges that traditional music needs to adapt to the times. However, he doesn't think that simply adding pop music elements is the answer. He believes he needs to find a balance. “Our folk music is totally different from Western pop music. It's possible to experiment with the musical arrangement. But the Tibetan melody is the core of it all and it shouldn't be changed.”

The enthusiastic applause he receives at the Yak Music Festival suggests that he is striking the right note.

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