Duan Yuhui, chief violinist and composer in the Singing and Dancing Troupe of Qinghai Province in northwest China, considers conducting his amateur job.

It was beyond his expectation that he could conduct his symphony "Wind from West China", based on a Qinghai folk song, for the festival, he said.

According to an official from the Ministry of Culture, China demonstrated its great resolution to preserve folk culture with the western symphony composed in a Chinese folk style.

Qinghai is inhabited by many minority ethnic groups, which pass on folk music from one generation to the next. The late Wang Luobing, a well-known musician, collected and wrote numerous folk songs familiar to all Chinese.

Although the troupe have participated at the art festival since 1987, it is the first time they have played symphony pieces.

According to Ma Weiming, head of the troupe, the performance was a great success at conveying Qinghai folk culture to others.

Duan Yuhui takes inspiration from folk music. In fact, the melody for the third part of the symphony comes from Hua'er, the typical folk songs. Having lived in the Chongqing municipality for 16 years, Duan still admits to feeling uncomfortable if he is asked to sing a song in Mandarin Chinese.

Duan is the only conductor in the troupe, one of the first folk singing and dancing ensembles in China. Altogether the troupe has composed more than 50 songs and 30 other musical pieces in the past 50 years.

The current symphony is the preclude for the minority shows at the Art Festival. Shows by groups from Xinjiang, Ningxia and Tibet will demonstrate a variety of folk art styles in the days to come.

(People's Daily 10/01/2000)