China News Service, Kunming, February 10th: Title: Tibetan singer mother and son came from the snow-capped mountains to sing songs
Author Miao Chaoshi Wenzhi
"The mountains are waiting for you, the water is waiting for you, the flowers on the roadside are swinging in the wind, please Stay..." On the 10th, the Spring Festival of the Year of the Dragon in Jiachen and the New Year of the Wood Dragon in the Tibetan Calendar. The famous Tibetan singer and national first-class actor Tashi Dundup appeared on the 2024 Yunnan Province Spring Festival Gala and sang a newly adapted Yunnan classic national song "Guest from afar, please stay".
This song is a multi-part chorus based on the Sani folk songs and materials of the Yi people in Shilin, Kunming, the "hometown of Ashima". It sings about the good life of the Yi people and their warm invitation to guests from afar. It has been sung since 1953.
The picture shows Tashi Dundup participating in the rehearsal of the 2024 Yunnan Spring Festival Gala on January 26. (Photo provided by the organizer)
Why are Tibetan singers singing Yi-style songs? Tashi Dundup told reporters that there are 26 ethnic groups in Yunnan, which is the epitome of China's multi-ethnic family. "My mother once said that using good songs to enhance unity and using good voices to gather strength has always been the principle of Yunnan music workers' creation and singing."
Tashi Dundup's mother is the famous Tibetan soprano Zongyong Zhuoma. In 1964, Zongyong Zhuoma was born in Yangla Township, the most remote place in Deqin County, Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. It is the southern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the hinterland of the Hengduan Mountains. The average altitude is about 4,000 meters. The territory is lined with snow-capped mountains and deep canyons. , villages and houses are scattered on the cliffs like yaks.
Alpine and desolate, traffic is blocked, but people here like to sing. They go up the mountain to sing, sing down the mountain, herd sheep and sing. They fight against the desolation with their high-pitched and simple singing. Since childhood, the holy snow mountain springs have nourished Zongyong Zhuoma's singing voice. She has been deeply influenced by the singing of her grandmother and mother. She has learned hundreds of Tibetan folk songs that have been sung from generation to generation.
At the age of 11, Zongyong Zhuoma went to Deqin County to apply for the art team under the guidance of his teacher. We walked from the village of Yangla Township to the county seat, climbing over snow-capped mountains with an altitude of more than 6,000 meters, and walked the mountain road for five days.
At the age of 16, Zongyong Zhuoma was admitted to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. In Shanghai, Zongyong Zhuoma systematically learned music theory and scientific singing methods. Tashi Dundup said, “When my mother graduated, she also thought about developing in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai, but her teacher Wang Pinsu reminded: You were cultivated in the land of Yunnan, and you must return to the place where you were born and raised. , singing for the fellow villagers. If you leave this land, you will have no roots."
Returning to Yunnan, Zongyong Zhuoma used his hometown as the theme to compose and sing "Hatha from Hometown", "Daughter of Meili Snow Mountain", "Daughter of the Valley" "Echo" and other more than 60 clear, loud, melodious songs flew out of the snow-capped mountains and spread on the plateau, singing throughout the land of China and all over the world. They were hailed by foreign critics as "the golden voice of today's Tibetans".
In 1987, Tashi Dunzhu was born in Kunming, Yunnan. Influenced by his mother since childhood, he showed a strong interest in music. He learned piano, recorder, saxophone and other Western instruments from the age of 6, and also practiced Chinese traditional instruments such as bamboo flute, cucurbit flute and bawu. "My mother taught me that music should be a fusion of Chinese and Western music, drawing on the best of both worlds."
When she grew up, Tashi Dundup was admitted to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and graduated from the Musical Theater Department. Following in his mother's footsteps, he returned to his hometown of Yunnan and devoted himself to performing traditional folk music in a modern and fashionable way. Over the years, this young singer with a handsome appearance and unique singing voice has never forgotten to inherit national music. Original songs such as "Sunshine", "Sichuan-Tibet Road", "The Gate of Heaven", "Return" and other folk songs account for a large proportion of his works. .
Nowadays, as Tibetan singers become younger and younger, hi-pop and purely Tibetan rappers have injected new styles and new power into Tibetan music. In addition to classic works such as "Golden Mountain in Beijing" and "Echo of the Valley", Tibetan songs in the form of folk songs, rap and other forms are constantly enriched.
"Music is the cultural heritage of a nation, and the integration and collision of music cultures from the East, the West, and various ethnic groups not only make Tibetan music shine more brilliantly, but also make the relationship between Tibetans and other ethnic groups more harmonious."Tashi Dundup said that in the Yi villages in Kunming Stone Forest, people love to sing Tibetan songs such as "Beijing's Golden Mountain", "Dolma" and "Plateau Red". In the Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, people dance in square dances with Tibetan string instruments. , there are love songs of the Lisu and Naxi people, as well as toast songs of the Yi people...
As a young generation of Tibetan singers, Tashi Dundup hopes to connect the bright spots of cultural prosperity in Yunling through singing and show the cultures of various ethnic groups. A harmonious picture of each enjoying his own beauty and sharing the beauty. (End)
