Folksingers of Yi ethnic group in SW China’s Yunnan stun world with Haicai Qiang songs

Two folksingers of the Yi ethnic group in southwest China's Yunnan Province who have dedicated years of their lives promoting Yi's traditional Haicai Qiang, a kind of folk song, have amazed the world with their beautiful music.

Li Huaixiu and Li Huaifu attend a rehearsal. (Photo/Kang Ping)

Li Huaixiu and Li Huaifu, two siblings, are the inheritors of the national-level intangible cultural heritage Haicai Qiang in Shiping county, Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan. Haicai Qiang, which literally means "seaweed tune," is a primitive folk tune created by the Yi ethnic group living around the picturesque Yilong Lake in Yunnan. The songs are characterized by their free rhythms and sonorous, clear tunes.

The duo gave a passionate performance in the second part of the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity at the Montréal Convention Centre in Canada on Dec.7, 2022.

Over the past decade, they have performed in more than 40 countries as representatives of China's folk artists, including in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna of Austria, the Sydney Opera House, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in the US, showcasing the splendid art of Yunnan.

Li Huaixiu, the elder sister, has loved singing since she was a child. "I learnt singing from my grandparents and my mother when I was young. I would sing songs after finishing the farmwork, which helped me forget how tired I was," she said.

Li Huaixiu sees traditional songs and dances as treasures of the Yi ethnic group. She studied Haicai Qiang from many notable artists such as Hou Baoyun and Shi Wanheng, though many of her peers chose to go in the direction of pop music rather than traditional performance. In 1993, she joined a culture school established by Tian Feng, a renowned musician who came to Yunnan to preserve local culture. Apart from mastering Haicai Qiang, she also learnt other traditional performing arts and handicrafts at the school. When her teacher Tian Feng fell ill, she took on the responsibility of running the school and admitted many new students in Yunnan. Her brother Li Huaifu was one of her first students.

Li Huaixiu and Li Huaifu attend a rehearsal. (Photo/Kang Ping)

Their unremitting efforts paid off when they won a gold award at the 12th CCTV National Young Singers' Contest in China. Their school has also cultivated nearly 1,200 local folk artists, who have taken part in nearly 100 performances in China.

"Haicai Qiang has gone global, which proves that folk music is glamorous," said Li Huaixiu.