A folk song-dance "Ermaji" of the Qiang nationality, organized by quake-hit Wenchuan County, was staged in Chengdu, southwestern Sichuan Province on Saturday.
The Qiang ethnic group live mainly in the counties of the Aba Tibetan-Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan. They do not have a written language. For thousands of years, their culture was passed on through singing, dancing and sacrificing. Singing and dancing play a very important role in their culture and daily life.
Soundbite:Liu Dan, Performer “We hope to make more people know about the Qiang culture, learn it and become heritors to pass it on.”
"Ermaji" is made up of three acts: Paying tribute to the God of Mountain, Playing in the Mountain and Walking in the Mountain. It stages the traditional and unique Qiang culture, and the audience could feel the Qiang culture and life philosophy -- How to get through the disaster and still living in the canyon in a vibrant and vigorous manner.
