TV competition promotes folk music

Three months of fierce competition have culminated on stage at the studios of China Central Television. A fifteen member band won the first prize in the group category at the country's biggest folk musical event. But the winners say playing the music is more important than winning the prize. Zhang Nini brings this story.

Young and passionate, the fifteen member band presents their interpretation of the famous folk composition "Flowing Creek", with fresh elan and vitality.

They're junior students from the Central Music Academy. Their instrument is called the Jinghu, a two stringed instrument with a high register.

Emerging as the biggest winners of the night, the students will be guranteed a contract with one of China's four folk music ensembles upon graduation. They say they're passionate about playing music and winning awards is secondary.

Niu Xiangyi, Jinghu player, said,"We care more about playing the music than winning. We hope to break new ground with our performance. "

Being distinctive is also what drives accordian player Yang Shanshan to pair with Tang Yifan, who plays dulcimer. The duo forms a group called the "Bird and Tree". The combination of the two instruments forms a unique harmony.

Tang Yifan, dulcimer player of "Bird and tree", said,"The sound of a dulcimer lingers over the sound of the accordian. The combination of the two is like a Taiji movement. They interweave and complement each other. "

However, the duo didn't make it into the top three of the night.

They lost out to a folk band from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and a quartet from Shanghai.

Wang Liguang, one of the judges on the panel, says by including amateur musicians in the competition, the event is sure to arouse even wider interest in folk music.

Wang Liguang, judge of Folk Music Competition, said,"Professional and amateur players have different skills, but they're both passionate about what they do. Their performances will spread folk music to bigger audiences. "

The three month long competition has drawn more than three thousand participants to the country's biggest folk music event.

Xia Yu, director of Folk Music Competition, said,"This competition tests both the skills of the participants and their performance on-stage. It's about finding the next big star in folk music. "