Songs of the fields

Local people enjoy a variety of delicacies.[Photo by Jiang Dong/China Daily]

"When I started collecting the folk music of the Hani people in the 1980s, I was impressed by the variety," says Bai Xueguang, a retired scholar of the Ethnic Group Art Research Institute of Yunnan Province.

"But now, it's sad that some of the musical pieces and singing styles are dying. What we can see are only fragments."

He, however, says that the Yuanyang county government has mapped out preservation plans since 2014, such as establishing a database for recorded scores and scripts, and teaching relevant courses in local primary schools.

What concerns Bai is that, with more visitors coming to the villages to explore the terraced fields, the authentic lifestyle of the Hani people will be disturbed and even changed.

"For visitors, Hani culture is exotic. But for the Hani people, it is their way of life passed down generations. The influence from the outside world may result in a loss of tradition," says Bai.

"I hope the young generations of Hani come back here and help to revive their traditions."