CHINA DAILY | HONG KONG EDITION Wednesday, July 29, 2020 | 17 YOUTH Musician Xiao He (first from left) and friends perform live in the courtyard of Yong Foo Elite club in Shanghai on June 14, led by Zhang Ruishi (third from right), 90, who sings lullabies and children’s rhymes that she learned as a child. PHOTOS BY HE XIAOLU / FOR CHINA DAILY A time of rhyme Folk songs and nursery melodies provide a unique insight into culture and what has gone before, Chen Nan reports. t first utterance, they may not never completed primary school, but he says He, the former lead vocalist of Chi- “It’s a process of looking for a needle seem like cultural treasures. can still recall the folk songs and rhymes nese rock band Glamorous Pharmacy. in a haystack but it’s interesting and Harmless ditties, a part of he listened to and sang as a child. He has also written music for theatrical worthwhile,” he says. “Sometimes the growing up, to be discarded Recently, he was approached by a productions and movies. elderly people are very interested in me quickly.A However, nursery rhymes and group of musicians, who wanted to In 2016, he joined in a music program and they tell me lots of stories, but folk songs play an important but often learn to sing and record those songs. for children with special needs and was sometimes they turn my requests down. overlooked role in children’s develop- They invited Ni to perform in front of an inspired to search for more songs. It usually takes months to stay in one ment. audience. “It’s not only about reminding people city to collect songs before we head to Reciting Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, “I was surprised that they wanted to of their childhood memories but also another city. The Itsy Bitsy Spider or Row, Row, Row listen to the old songs and wanted to about recording memories and sharing “What I am looking for is beyond Your Boat provides an entertaining learn to sing with me,” Ni adds. the histories of different generations via music. I want to discover the connec- entree into developing language skills. The musicians, led by singer-song- music,” he says. tion between the songs and the listen- They also give an insight into a time writer Xiao He, 45, whose real name is In August 2018, for example, He visit- ers,” He says. before, a peep into yesteryear. He Guofeng, are working on a music ed an 80-year-old man who lives nearby His friend, singer-songwriter Sun Ni Mingsheng is 80 years old and project, titled Nursery Rhyme Program, Yuyuantan Park in Beijing, who taught Dasi, introduced He to his grandmoth- understands the significance of preserv- which aims to preserve old Chinese him to sing a folk song he sang as a er when he was in Shanghai to collect ing childhood favorites. When he was children’s songs. One of the musicians child, titled Lugou Qiao, a famous place children’s songs. about to sing a folk song, Jiu Ku Miao involved is hip-hop star Jfever, whose near the Wanping Fortress in Beijing’s Sun’s grandmother, Yang Junwen, (“saving withered seedlings”), in an real name is Zhao Hong. He rapped the Fengtai district, often referred to as the who was born in Shanghai in 1930, open space on the roof of the Power Sta- song, Jiu Ku Miao, after Ni performed Marco Polo Bridge. The song depicts the sang the song, titled Row a Boat, to Sun tion of Art, a contemporary museum in it. scenes of the camels traveling on the when he was a child. She learned to Shanghai, on June 27, dark rain clouds Since 2018, He traveled with his musi- bridge which is adorned with hundreds sing the song when she was about 7 were disgorging heavy rain. cian friends to cities, including Beijing, of lion figurines. years old, and the song portrays the When the outdoor performance was Changsha in Hunan province and “The song hit me. Though it is simple people who traveled to Shanghai by moved indoors, the rain stopped. This Hangzhou in Zhejiang province. and short, I want to adapt it into a new boat to make a living in the 1930s. scenario resembled a scene portrayed in They have discussed their project song and let more people listen to it,” He “My grandmother is very beautiful the song, Jiu Ku Miao: “Rain showers with people, mostly over 65, and collect- says, adding that his little daughter was and independent. She had worked in a come and go quickly and it saves the ed more than 200 nursery rhymes. the song’s first listener. textile factory and took care of her three withered seedlings. In the southwestern These were primarily local folk songs To collect songs, he wakes up early in children,” says Sun, who took He and a corner appears the rainbow.” that had been the soundtrack to their the morning and goes to local parks to few other musician friends to visit his “The villagers sang those songs and childhood. meet elderly people, who are doing their grandmother this June. rhymes while working on the farm- Besides recording and interviewing From top: Ni Mingsheng, 80, morning exercises. He also carries his “When we sang the song together, she land,” recalls Ni. “Now, few people sing local people, they also held live perform- sings a folk song during a live ruan (a traditional Chinese plucked sang with us. Though she is 90 years old, these folk songs or rhymes and fewer ances to introduce the songs to a young- concert which was organized by stringed instrument). He invites the she still remembers the song.” people work on the farmland.” er audience. Xiao He, at a museum in Shang- people in the park to play music with Born in a village in Jinze town, Qing- “Those old songs are full of memories hai on June 27. Young people at him. But building up trust can be a hit- Contact the writer at pu district, Shanghai, the octogenarian for the elderly people we interviewed,” the concert sing along with him. and-miss affair. [email protected] Variety show gives future stars a chance to shine By XU FAN The winners will establish a [email protected] group, getting support from stream- ing sites, which finance and produce What could have been an extreme- the shows. They will experience the ly embarrassing moment actually trappings of fame, release albums turned out rather well. Novelist- and be interviewed by top fashion turned director Guo Jingming will magazines. remember the moment in Changsha, Contestant Zuo Linjie, a Shanghai Central China’s Hunan province, for native, seems to be going through some time. such an experience. During a video call to discuss the In recent weeks, the 18-year-old country’s cinemas reopening on a winner has seen the number of his live-streaming program for China followers on Sina Weibo rising from Central Television Channel 6, some a few thousand to nearly 281,000. youngsters suddenly showed up Before taking part in the show, behind him. They waved their Zuo trained for about 18 months hands, pulled funny faces and even with a South Korean entertainment yelled excitedly. A total of 84 young candidates perform on We Are Young, a popular online variety show. They have been selected from more than 3,000 company, FNC Entertainment. But it was not a case of bad man- contestants from nine countries, including South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, the United States and Russia. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY “When I watched a music video by ners or crashing an interview. It was Zhang Yixing at my junior school, I just a misunderstanding: The was fascinated by his performance youngsters, candidates of variety streaming site Youku on July 3, has invited other “mentors”, including and since then dreamed of becom- show We Are Young, where Guo gathered 84 young candidates — singer Hu Yanbin, Cheng Xiao from ing a singer like him,” says Zuo. “I served as a mentor, had thought Chinese or with Chinese origins — South Korean-Chinese pop group was excited when I found Zhang has that Guo was shooting a video blog from over 3,000 contestants in nine Cosmic Girls and veteran street also joined the show to guide us.” for fun and tried to play a trick on countries, including South Korea, dancer Han Yu. Also joining the Yu says that Zuo is shy and quiet, him. Singapore, Thailand, the United show are singer Zhang Yixing as a “but is hardworking and talented”. “I Guo’s interview with CCTV-6 was States and Russia. producer, award-winning actor remember that he was the last con- ruined but he was not annoyed. All candidates had been trained Yiyang Qianxi and Hong Kong sing- testant to leave the training venue Instead, the 37-year-old mentor intensively in singing and dancing er Jackson Wang as guest mentors. on the eve of the first performance. admired their talent and actually for two months in a Changsha hotel Yu says these selection shows He gets up early every morning to helped them to get more media with professional musicians, says Yu have developed rapidly as a popular jog, no matter how late he goes to attention. Han, the show’s executive producer. genre, propelled by phenomenal bed the night before,” Yu says. Hashtags about the event have “We want the show to help the hits ranging from Produce 101 to Du Yan, the show’s chief producer, earned 220 million views on the youngsters to realize their dreams, Idol Producer, and the viewers love says candidates have their unique popular micro-blogging platform no matter where they are from or if to vote for their favorite contestants.