China-Africa exchanges: Drumbeat links China and Africa

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Cultural exchanges between China and Africa have a history going back centuries, and music is increasingly becoming a part of that.

In recent years, African drums like the djembe have gained a huge fan base in the country. With their energetic rhythms and one-of-a-kind sound, the African drum traditions are winning over Chinese hearts and sparking curiosity in people old and young.

Every Sunday afternoon, an African drum show makes a splash near Beijing's bustling Houhai Lake.

Liu Yong, who makes a living by selling and playing djembes, initiated the Houhai drum group 10 years ago. To his great surprise, a whopping 5,000 drummers have joined him ever since, trying their hands at challenging rhythms.

Liu Yong and his followers play drums around the Houhai Lake area of Beijing every Sunday afternoon. /CGTN Photo

"Rain or shine, we will meet up and play drums together. That's our goal," said Liu.

Liu said in the beginning, they had only a couple of people playing together and many of them were passersby. "But now, people from all walks of life are playing here," he said.

In the early stages when Liu Yong established the Houhai drumming gathering in 2008, only a couple of people came to play. /CGTN Photo

In Africa, hand drums are more than just musical instruments. They are an indelible part of the continent's heritage. But for Chinese people, the newly-found obsession with the beats is another story.

"Every Sunday, Liu Yong and I help each other to carry our drums to Houhai by car," said a drummer who has played with Liu for six years. "When I play the drums, I feel purely happy and calm."

"I have played the djembe for almost a year and it makes me more confident, " added another drummer, who bought his drum with the signature of an African drum master.

Liu Yong and his followers practice drumming. /CGTN Photo

In late 2015, a Chinese pop song played on djembe went viral online. After that, African drums gained more popularity in the country.

"African masters know that China has the largest population of people playing the drums. More and more drum masters from Africa have come to China to teach courses," said Liu. "I am also planning to travel to western Africa and learn from masters there next January."

African drums are not only played around Houhai Lake, they are also getting more popular in Chinese classrooms. Some schools in Beijing have already set up African drum clubs of their own.

At the No.1 High School attached to Capital Normal University, a group of students practiced for their upcoming performance during their summer holiday.

Despite the summer holiday, a group of students practiced for their upcoming performance at the No.1 High School attached to Capital Normal University in Beijing on Aug 21, 2018. /CGTN Photo

Cao Yinzhe is a high school student and also an experienced drummer. He has been playing in the band for two years, and he said he really enjoys the team spirit as drumming requires lots of collaboration.

"I felt embarrassed when I could not get the rhythms right. But now I have become more confident and made many friends here," said Chen Xiaoxu, another student in the band.

The djembe band was established three years ago by Song Ying, a music teacher at the school.

In Song Ying's view, playing djembes fits the students well. "Teenagers are quite sensitive to rhythms. And it is also very meaningful for them to grasp some history and African culture behind the instrument," said Song.

One thing is for sure, the drumbeat has helped young Chinese get to know Africa despite differences in language and culture.

(Cover: Liu Yong and his followers play drums around the Houhai Lake area of Beijing every Sunday afternoon. /CGTN Photo)