2025 China Indigenous Folk Song Festival Launches in Hohhot

On July 3rd, the 2025 China Indigenous Folk Song Festival, organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, officially opened in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Attendees included Wang Lixia, Chairperson of the Inner Mongolia Region, Rao Quan, Vice Minister of Culture and Tourism and Director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, and Bao Gang, Member of the Standing Committee of the Inner Mongolia Regional Party Committee and Secretary of the Hohhot Municipal Committee.

The festival commenced amidst the enchanting melodies of pastoral songs. The opening performance featured carefully choreographed segments including 'Chorale of the Yurts,' 'Songs of the Fields,' 'Chants of Mountains and Rivers,' and 'Songs of the Times.' The performers expressed their love for life, home, and homeland through song, allowing the audience to deeply appreciate the unique charm of indigenous folk songs from various regions during engaging sing-alongs.

With the theme "Natural Melodies of the Land, Chinese Feelings in Folk Songs," the festival showcases nearly 400 participants from 65 teams nationwide. The performances encompass 42 national-level intangible cultural heritage representative items and 23 provincial-level intangible cultural heritage representative items. The program includes both widely sung classic folk songs and innovatively adapted unique pieces, vividly demonstrating the outcomes of preserving and developing traditional music heritage through innovation.

Throughout the festival, performance teams from different areas will collaborate with local Ulan Muqi (a form of Inner Mongolian collective performance) groups to form smaller teams. These groups will visit Hohhot, Ulanqab, and Ordos, engaging in performances at local squares, schools, pastoral areas, scenic spots, and neighborhoods. They plan to hold six major performances and eight grassroots outreach shows, offering an audiovisual feast for citizens and tourists alike. The closing performance is set to take place on July 6th in Hohhot.