People who were in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region last week may still remember the toe-tapping folk songs rearranged by present-day composers and interpreted by pop bands such as "Black Leopards," "Made of Yi People," "X Boys," "Pretty Babes," and "Tang Dynasty" during the Nanning International Festival of Folk Songs and Folk Arts.

The festival attracted more than 2000 folk and pop singers from across the country and more than 150 foreign singers and dancers from 15 foreign countries including Spain, Belgium, Austria and the United States.

At the festival, which was launched last year, the way traditional folk songs were rearranged and sung has evoked mixed reactions from audiences and musicians.

Some said it was a trend which could endanger the traditions of Chinese folk songs

While others insisted that the artists had simply tried to revitalize old Chinese folk songs.

So what is to be the fate of the Chinese folk song in the 21st century?

Will it decline and die? And if so, what can be done to bring it new life?

Such questions evoked heated debate during a recent seminar in Beijing on the future of Chinese folk songs.

The seminar was attended by numerous Chinese musicians, folk artists and musicologists, and was held before the opening of the nationwide China Country Singers Singing Competition 2000, which will be held next month.

"By organizing such events, we hope to raise public awareness of the current situation, regarding Chinese folk songs," said Luo Li, general manager of the Red Earth Art Centre, who co-organized the seminar and competition with China Central Television.

Usually, Chinese songs are divided into three groups according to the way a song is sung: bel canto, national and pop, said Wu Yanze, a singer and secretary-general of the Chinese Musicians Association.

Songs sung in the "national way" are those with a traditional Chinese flavour but which are usually sung using Western singing techniques.

They are termed by some musicologists "pseudo-folk songs."

Folk songs are sung by people who have a musical gift but have not received professional training. Thus, some musicians hold that the way these singers sing is improper and unrefined.

"As a result, Chinese folk songs are put in an awkward position as they cannot find a niche in the classification system," pointed out Wu.

Over the past few decades, Chinese audiences have seen, on the TV and in concerts, too many stereotypical folk singers who sing with a similar singing style and have no artistic identity of their own, said composer Kai Chuan.

"Being identical in artistic style will suffocate the development of Chinese folk songs," he said.

Only those who sing songs with their own clear, personal mark will be remembered as good singers; and only songs that are distinctive in style will be remembered, and handed down, as good songs, he said.

That was why, in a singing competition months ago, Wu gave high marks to a folk song duo who sang a moving song with untrained voices.

Some people say that the Chinese folk song experienced its golden age during the 1940s and 1950s. And that it lost its charm for ordinary people in the 1980s.

Nowadays, traditional folk music predominantly exist in rural areas.

With the development of small townships and small cities and the influx of urban culture and Western influence, original rural culture is disintegrating, said composer Gu Chunyu.

Many young farmers have now taken an interest in pop singers and their songs.

They listen to pop music on the radio, watch music videos on TV and go to discos or karaoke bars for entertainment.

They no longer spend time learning the songs their fathers and grandfathers used to sing.

For example, the sons of the "Shaanxi Folk Song King," He Yutang, love songs by Madonna.

"It is impossible for a place to maintain its original flavour after its society has been opened up to the outside world," said music critic Yan Xiding.

"Modern ways of mass communication increasingly threatened the existence of folk songs. Any kind of art form goes through a process of birth, development and decline."

The future of Chinese folk songs has become a "live or die" question in the eyes of some musicologists.

However, others say this is not the case.

Chinese folk songs are not dying or, even declining. Instead, they are safe, still growing and transforming as always occurs in human history, said Li Yarong, a music critic and folk music enthusiast.

Through investigations, over the past few years, into various Chinese folk songs in different parts of the country, she has established her own views on the future of the Chinese folk song.

"Yes, some old folk songs are dying due to reasons such as old themes and no longer popular tunes. If some die, let them die. But some are still alive and thriving - the Chinese folk song as an art form will never weaken or die," she said.

"Really good folk songs will be remembered for their simple but beautiful melodies, soul-stirring themes and easy-to-memorize lyrics. Songs that are forgotten or ignored for a time may find new life years later as people's tastes change."

Chinese folk songs, or in fact, any folk songs, should not be seen as static, ossified and immutable, in Li's opinion.

Attempts to inject new energy into traditional folk songs should be welcomed.

For instance, the Nanning International Festival of Folk Songs and Folk Arts, which ended last week, contributed a lot to the development of Chinese folk songs, she said.

Some folk songs sung by pop music bands and individual singers during the festival included the influences of Western music.

But opinions about these "distorted" folk songs, among local people who have a long history of singing folk songs, is divided.

"Times are changing. People are changing. They may want to sing both old songs such as 'Xintianyou' originating from Shaanxi Province or 'Lan-huahua' from the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Qinghai Province, and new songs, which reflect contemporary social reality," said veteran composer Zhang Li. "The existence of any type of art form must have its roots in social reality."

Nowadays, Chinese audiences have more music choices.

"People today are tired of the limited musical pieces that have been handed down from the past. Artists writing folk music should throw out the old ideas and create something that has both a traditional flavour and meets the tastes of present-day audiences," he said.

Folk songs are closely related with the lives of local people and their customs.

"Folk songs that express the inner feelings and living situations of today's ordinary people are badly needed. The crisis of today's Chinese folk songs comes from inside," said Jin Zhaojun, a music critic and lyricist.

There is a wave of so-called "New Folk Music" sweeping through China. These songs catch the temperament of today's people.

Musicians must leave their studios, which are filled with state-of-art equipment, and seek inspiration from folk songs still alive among ordinary people.

They can create their own work with references to traditional folk music, he said. They should concentrate on keeping the essence of old Chinese folk music, the cultural gist and not just its superficial features, Jin pointed out.

(China Daily 11/29/2000)