Folk artist from N China's Shanxi committed to inheritance of suona

At the launch of a roots-seeking season in Hongtong county, north China's Shanxi Province in Beijing on March 29, Zhang Linfeng, a suona player from Jixian county of Shanxi, received warm applause for an excellent performance.

As an intangible cultural heritage in Shanxi, the Jixian suona performance can be seen on various occasions, including funerals and weddings.  Local folk artists earn a living through it, keeping the cultural asset alive and thriving.

Zhang Linfeng plays suona at the launch ceremony of a roots-seeking season in Hongtong county, north China's Shanxi Province held in Beijing on March 29, 2023. (People's Daily Online/Lu Pengyu)

"My family has been inheriting the techniques of playing suona for generations. To master the techniques, I have to practice very hard. At the beginning, I always got swollen lips and sore cheeks from practicing suona, but I had to endure the pain and keep practicing. It was not until around a year later that I finally got used to playing the musical instrument," said Zhang.

Zhang earns a living and finds spiritual enjoyment by playing suona. "I'm teaching the techniques to my apprentices in the hope that they can help carry forward the suona playing techniques," Zhang said.