Dulcimer Song Praises the Beautiful Southwestern Region of China | Chinese Music | Musical Moments

The Red River is a famous river in Yunnan Province, China. Many ethnic minorities such as the Yi and Hani live around this river. The dulcimer (yangqin) piece "Spring of the Red River" warmly praises the beautiful and rich southwestern region of China and the original and kind folk customs of the Yi and Hani people, and expresses their love for their hometown landscape. This piece was composed by Liu Xisheng and Li Hangtao in 1974. The composer used folk music of the Hani and Yi in Honghe prefecture, Yunnan Province, draing on the "pressing glide" technique of the zheng and imitating the bright timbre of the yueqin, making the melody cordial and soft. After that, the music progresses layer by layer, showing a lively and cheerful group dance scene. This song is performed by XianNian Xiao, a dulcimer soloist, and member of the China National Orchestra Society. Through the late 1980s and 90s, Xiao performed extensively in Hong Kong, Japan, and Russia and received numerous awards. Xiao has performed extensively in 36 cities and towns in 18 states around the country, including Lincoln Center, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Yale University, Boston Conservatory, Temple University, and numerous music festivals of various ethnicities. In 2002, Xiao received the Silver Cup at the Walnut Valley Festival of Arts Annual Dulcimer Competition; in 2003 and 2005, he was invited twice to serve on the Judges’ Panel for the Acoustic Music Festival in Bennington, Oklahoma. Title: Spring of the Red River Composer: Liu Xisheng, Li Hangtao Dulcimer performance: Xiannian Xiao Mixing: Joseph Ma © 2022 Atlantic Studios Inc. All rights reserved.