Festivals under the stars woo music lovers

Thanks to COVID-19 being contained in China, numerous cultural institutions and event organizers are planning productions.

Outdoor music festivals are being staged around the country this summer, and audiences have shown great interest in not only enjoying live music but in getting close to nature.

One of the largest events, the Strawberry Music Festival, returned with performances in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province, on July 2 and 3, its first events this year.

The organizer said the festival would visit five other cities this summer, including Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, and Wuhan, the Hubei provincial capital. Its visit to Wanning city, Hainan province, was canceled due to the pandemic.

A Long-real name Ouyang Haopeng-lead vocalist, guitarist and singer-songwriter with the rock band Jiulian Zhenren, said, "We planned to stage about 20 shows at music festivals and indie live house venues immediately after Spring Festival, but they were either postponed or canceled because of the pandemic."

The band, from Lianping county, Guangdong province, also includes trumpet player Mai Haipeng, bassist Ye Wanli and percussionist Chui Mi. It gained a large fan base just one year after being launched, thanks to its original material sung in the Hakka dialect.

On Sunday, the band performed at the Strawberry Music Festival in Wuhan Garden Expo Park, its first outdoor appearance for six months.

Other Chinese rock outfits, such as New Pants, Miserable Faith and Peace Hotel, also featured at the festival.

A Long said: "When our shows were canceled or postponed in quick succession, we were very disappointed, but we could do nothing about it. We just focused on trying not to live our lives aimlessly."

He and Mai became interested in making coffee, with A Long opening a coffee bar in Lianping. Meanwhile, Chui Mi started to focus on handmade percussion instruments.

A Long added: "I also started to listen to genres that I rarely paid attention to before, such as electronic music. All of us were ready to return with live shows."

After the appearance in Wuhan, Jiulian Zhenren will perform some 10 shows nationwide until September.