Rural children's choir from S China's Hainan shines on international stages

Members of the Rainforest Children's Choir perform at the opening ceremony of the Sanyuesan Festival, a traditional festival celebrated by the Miao and Li ethnic groups in China on the third day of the third lunar month, in March 2025, at the main venue of the festival in south China's Hainan Province. (Photo/Xinhua)

Over the course of just three years, the Rainforest Children's Choir, formerly known as the Wuzhishan Li and Miao Children's Choir, in Shuiman township, Wuzhishan city, south China's Hainan Province, has gone from being too shy to speak to performing at major international events. The children have an average age of only 10. They've toured France and performed in South Korea, sharing their voices with audiences around the world.

Shuiman township, the highest-lying township on Hainan Island, has been home to generations of Li and Miao families. Tucked deep in the mountains, it feels far removed from the bustle of the outside world. For many children growing up here, the wider horizon once seemed distant.

In August 2022, the Wuzhishan Li and Miao Children's Choir was founded at Shuiman Central School. Despite challenges such as a shortage of qualified teachers, the local government remained fully committed to supporting the choir.

Liu Min, the choir's founder and artistic director, still vividly recalls his first visit to Shuiman Central School in 2022. When he first appeared before the students, many instinctively shrank back, dropped their gazes and said nothing.

The audition process was simple and direct. Each child was asked to sing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." Anyone who was willing to open their mouth and could roughly hold a tune made the cut.

Liu combined oral instruction with a professional music training system. He started by teaching the children to read musical notation and focused on developing their basic vocal skills.

Change came slowly, through the steady rhythm of daily rehearsals. Chen Kexin, a fourth grader, remembers that when she first joined, the children couldn't even manage proper posture. To assign voice parts, they had to take turns singing solo at the piano. Gradually, the children gained confidence through repeated training.

The Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2023 proved to be a turning point for the choir. When their clear, heartfelt voices echoed across the stage, the sustained applause from the international crowd made it clear to Liu that they were ready to "spread their wings."

Members of the Rainforest Children's Choir perform in France. (Photo courtesy of the media convergence center of Wuzhishan city)

In early 2024, a music video featuring the choir was shown at an event marking the 60th anniversary of the establishment of China-France diplomatic ties held by China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The video brought the choir to public attention and earned the children an invitation to Paris.

To prepare, Liu had the children practice singing in French. He transcribed the French lyrics using Chinese characters that closely resembled their pronunciation, and the children memorized them through repeated recitation.

In October 2024, as part of a reciprocal exchange, Le Choeur des Polysons, a renowned French children's choir, visited Maona village, Shuiman township, and sang together with children from the Rainforest Children's Choir.

With government funding and the support of generous donors, the choir has carried out cultural exchanges both across China and abroad. In Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, they performed a song celebrating their tea culture. At the 63rd Tamna Cultural Festival on Jeju Island, South Korea, they donned traditional Li brocade and performed songs and dances.

On Nov. 6, 2024, the Rainforest Children's Choir was officially expanded to a city-wide program. Breaking the previous restriction of recruiting only from Shuiman Central School, the choir opened auditions to students from schools across the city. A permanent training center was also established in the city.

Alongside the choir, the city has launched policies to attract top musical talent from institutions like the China Philharmonic Orchestra and the Central Conservatory of Music to train local music teachers, with the goal of establishing a model for county-level arts education.

"We hope to give children more opportunities so that, one day, art can help open the doors of universities for them," Liu said. He hopes that after completing their studies, the students will return to Wuzhishan as the next generation of music teachers, giving back to their hometown.