Folk Music of China Vol 7: Folk Songs of the Yi and Qiang Tribes in Sichuan & Yunnan

This might not be an easy-listening album, but it takes one on a rare cultural tour to hear the music of two ethnic minority groups of south-western China. The Qiang from western Sichuan are considered to be between the Han and Tibetan, both physically and culturally. Qiang songs are often sung in such high registers that listeners might have to turn down the volume to appreciate them.

The Yi songs were recorded in Nanjian county ofYunnan province. Several Yi songs are performed in Chinese rather than the Yi language, which is natural in this multicultural area where songs in the lingua franca – Yunnan dialect of Chinese – are often needed for social occasions. If you have listened to the music of Shanren, a fusion group from Yunnan, you will find here traditional versions of two of their songs. Most of the songs on this album have practical functions – be it for drinking, harvesting or dancing – and all are performed without accompaniment. That is except for two Yi songs in which a synthesizer has been added in post-production, making them a little ill-fitted.