Singing their way to solidarity

The choir is not funded, and the annual membership fee has been 100 yuan ($13.78) since it was set up, so they make most of their costumes themselves.

For example, the vests the men wore for the performance were actually a Chinese ethnic group costume, and the women's floral blouses were simple white shirts with different floral patterns they bought online and sewed themselves.

"The men's black hats originally only had a red feather, but to infuse them with more Peruvian flair, we added colorful pom-poms," Yang says.

A greater challenge, however, is the language.

Chen Xiaoming is one of the few original members of the choir. The 79-year-old was one of Yang's middle school classmates. "I joined the choir to support her," he says.

Chen had never studied Spanish before. After learning for several years, he cannot only sing songs, but also hold conversations.