Bustling scene of the performance
On the evening of September 17, Hemingzhou, Hecheng District served as the very venue for a village songs medley performance titled "Melodies of Wuxi (Nickname of Huaihua City), Village Songs conveyed Through A Millennium". Distinguished guests and leaders and the general public constituted the large audience. Chief among them were Li Hong, president of the China Mass Culture Association and former director of the Public Services Department of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism; Li Aiwu, deputy director of the Hunan Provincial Propaganda Department, secretary of the Party Leadership Group, and director of the Hunan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism; and Xu Zhongjian, secretary of the Huaihua Municipal Party Committee.
The event was jointly organized by the Hunan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and the Huaihua Municipal Government. It was co-hosted by the Huaihua Municipal Propaganda Department, the Huaihua Municipal Bureau of Culture, Tourism, Radio, Sports, and Television, the Hunan Provincial Cultural Center, and the People's Government of Hecheng District, Huaihua.
Before the chorus program began, a song-pulling competition was held and a water screen film titled "The Blessed Land Invigorated with Cranes’ Songs" was broadcast. As the chorus unfolded, eleven captivating performances were presented: "Traveling with Village Songs," "Millennium Ballad," "Joyful Songs of Happiness," "Revitalized Opera Charm," "Roaming in the Blessed Land," "Hometown Hunan · Wind," "Village Songs Across Hunan’s Rivers," "Mountains and Rivers as Desired," "Seeds," "Voices Echoing Across the Land," and "Village Songs Journey Far and Wide."
The entire performance features "Songs of Huaihua," "Songs Soaring Across Hunan," and "Songs Spreading Far and Wide", all of which revolved around the narrative theme of "Traveling with Village Songs." This specific performance has deeply integrated the primitiveness of the intangible cultural heritage with modern forms of expression, amply showcasing the cultural richness of "Huaihua’s Musical Heritage" and the diversity of the cultural landscape in Hunan. It has, in this case, echoed the powerful voice of the times-- rural revitalization through rural cultural and tourism initiatives.
Bustling scene of the performance.Photo by Yang Zhiwei and Tianmin/ Huaihua Daily
Since its launch in March, the "Huaihua on Stage Gala Performance: Village Song Festival" has drawn upon the bounty resources of the local ethnic cultures. It aims to pursue both cultural enrichment and tourism development. The past six months has witnessed the successful hosting of 56 events covering all 13 counties and districts. This performance appealed to contestants from various occupational backgrounds including barbers, concrete mixer drivers, construction workers, and delivery couriers as well. With over 100,000 participants on the scene and more than 20 million views online, it has turned out to be a phenomenonal grand feast of village culture and songs.
(Translated by Dong Yue)