Yunnan Cultural Festival 6.18.2022
Yunnan is known as the Seven-Color Province (七彩云南), partially due to the variety in the natural geography, but also because the province is home to 26 Chinese ethnic groups. Joyce and I took part in a celebration of Yunnan culture at the annual Chenggong Cultural Festival, held at the Seven Color Super Mall, in the central business area of Kunming City’s Chenggong district. The venue was full of exhibitions and stages that vibrantly displayed ethnic music, dancing, and art. This year’s theme was about the fusion of modern and traditional ethnic culture. The artists used modern genres to display traditional styles. This theme was excellently displayed by a reggae fusion band called Nasu (纳苏); they sang their songs in the Yi ethnic language accompanied by a mixture of chill and upbeat reggae grooves. I thought it was very creative the way they expressed their traditional culture through reggae.
Later on, after the show, we had a chance to talk to the dread-locked lead singer, “Rubin”, about why reggae is so popular in Yunnan and among Yi people. He simply said that, “reggae fits the style of Yunnan; the climate is mild, causing the people of Yunnan to be laid-back and enjoy slow-paced living”.
After the reggae, we went outside to take part in a Wa ethnic dance. The dancers were doing a type of group square dance (except it was in a circle) to the beat of rhythmic drums. It reminded me a lot of a dance I saw by Navajo tribal members in the state of New Mexico when I was young. The Wa are known to be a passionate people, and that was evident in their bright-red clothing, occasional whooping, and in the vigor of their dance.
The Wa ethnic dance opened for an act by a a group of Yi musicians. The men played a type of stringed instrument that sounded a little bit like a banjo. The headdress worn by the women was elaborately decorated with a colorful and flowery design.
At the end of the evening, as Joyce and I were walking home, I was thinking about why culture matters and the significance that it has in our lives. Culture gives people meaning and connects people to society. Being from two very different cultures, I often think about my own unique identity and how it has molded the way I understand the world. I hope that as time moves forward people can still keep hold of their cultures that ground them to history, but also adopt new ideas to form new cultural fusions; fusions that are current in style but also rooted in the traditions of old.
