In the blossoming days of April, as spring unfolds in full vitality, a nationally recognized Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) music tradition found its voice on the BNBU campus.With Hakka mountain song as the medium and the campus as the stage, the Music Department presented a vibrant student showcase, highlighting both tradition and youthful expression.

Opening scene of the concert

On April 24, 2026, the event titled “Voices of Heritage: Hakka Mountain Song from Meizhou on Campus and Student Showcase”, organized by the School of Culture and Creativity and co-organized by the Music Department and the Meizhou Hakka Mountain Song Inheritance and Protection Center, was successfully held at the BNBU Performance Hall.

Renowned Hakka mountain song inheritor and National First-Class Performer Yang Yuanling, together with young performers Chen Tingxia and Ma Jiayi, shared the stage with faculty and students of the Music Department. Together, they presented authentic Hakka mountain songs alongside traditional Chinese instrumental music. The performance was met with enthusiastic applause throughout.

Chen Tingxia performing “Auspicious Mountain Song”

The concert unfolded in two sections. The first, “Tracing the Ancient Charm of Hakka Mountain Song”, opened with a performance by Chen Tingxia. Her clear and expressive voice vividly conveyed the unique character of the tradition, captivating the audience.

This was followed by a lecture-demonstration by Yang Yuanling, titled “Preserving National Intangible Cultural Heritage: Singing Hakka Mountain Song”. She provided a systematic introduction to the origins, stylistic features, and current state of transmission of Hakka mountain song, and performed “You Will Hear Good Mountain Songs” on site.

Two young performers also demonstrated the representative dance “Flower Cup Dance”, combining bright vocal timbre with graceful movement, which deeply engaged the audience. In addition, Yang Yuanling conducted interactive teaching, guiding students in singing and introducing fundamental movements of the dance. Her presentation was clear, engaging, and lively, receiving warm responses from the audience throughout.

The final piece of this section was the duet “Lotus Pond Antiphonal Song”. The performers delivered a nuanced and expressive interpretation, combining vocal refinement with precise stage movement, demonstrating the emotional depth of Hakka mountain song.

In a moment of surprise and excitement, the host revealed that the performers were in fact BNBU students: Cao Baojun from the Department of Cultural and Creative Management and Zeng Chen from the Music Department. Their performance offered a powerful reminder that the transmission of national ICH music is not distant—it exists among us, and the roots of traditional Chinese culture remain alive within us.

Yang Yuanling introducing Hakka mountain song during the lecture

ICH inheritor demonstrating Flower Cup Dance techniques to faculty and students

BNBU students performing “Lotus Pond Antiphonal Song”

The second section, “The Sound of the Campus: Passing on the Tradition”, featured performances by students and faculty of the SCC Music Department. The programme included “Joyful Celebration”, “Jasmine Fragrance”, “Spring River in Moonlight Night”, “Horse Racing”, as well as “Dragon Boat” and “Prosperous Chinese Music”. The performances showcased both technical proficiency and musical expressivity.

As a student showcase, these performances reflected the teaching quality of the Music Department and the students’ solid technical foundation and expressive ability. During the programme, faculty members also offered live commentary on the stylistic characteristics of “Joyful Celebration”, enriching the audience’s understanding.

When the gentle and flowing melody of “Colorful Clouds Chasing the Moon” emerged, the three inheritors and Ms. Jie Wang joined on stage to sing in both Chinese and English, adding a new dimension to the traditional piece.

The concert concluded with “My Motherland”, where, under Ms. Wang’s direction, both performers and audience joined in singing “A great river flows wide…”. The collective, heartfelt singing brought the atmosphere to its peak.

Music Department ensemble performing “Joyful Celebration”

Students performing guzheng trio “Jasmine Fragrance”

Ms. Jie Wang and performers singing “Colorful Clouds Chasing the Moon”

Performers and audience singing “My Motherland” together

The concert was attended not only by students from the School of Culture and Creativity, but also by faculty and students from other departments, as well as visitors from the Affiliated Foreign Language School of BNU Zhuhai. The event received wide acclaim from both on-campus and external audiences.Principal Li Xiuhai from the affiliated school commented: “It was a concert with roots and spirit.”

This concert represents a continuation of BNBU’s collaborative educational outreach with Meizhou and forms part of the Music Department’s Education Day activities. It was not only a rich musical experience rooted in ICH traditions, but also a meaningful exploration of how traditional Chinese music can be actively sustained and reinterpreted in contemporary educational contexts.

The event also demonstrated several key features: first, the introduction of nationally recognized ICH into the campus environment; second, the integration of live performance with student learning; third, the combination of academic lecture and concert presentation; and fourth, the engagement of external audiences, strengthening connections between the university and the wider community.

Prior to the concert, the Music Department and the Meizhou Hakka Mountain Song Inheritance and Protection Center co-organized a seminar titled “Hakka Song in the Campus: Heritage and Exchange”. Faculty and students participated in discussions on the transmission of ICH music, the promotion of traditional Chinese culture, and future collaborative initiatives, including the potential establishment of a BNBU student practice base.

Seminar on ICH music transmission and exchange

Group photo of performers and audience after the concert

Written by: Jie Wang

Layout & Editing: Sienna Xuanxuan Wu