In Shanghai's Grand Theater, a fashionable, mainly young audience applauds enthusiastically as Guo
Yong takes center stage.He holds a large bushy tree branch with leaves.Blowing on one of the leaves, he
produces a sound like the singing of birds as he plays a traditional Buyi folk song.Some other musicians
are also playing the traditional instruments from various ethnic groups in China.
It's the first time such music has ever been performed in the Grand Theater.But all this is the efforts of
Zhu Zheqin, a Cantoneseborn singer, who has made it her mission to help preserve China's traditional
ethnic music.
Several years ago, after being appointed a United Nations Development Program ambassador, Zhu
traveled through some of China's remotest regions in an attempt to document the traditional music of
various minority groups.In the course other fourmonth trip, sh
e recorded more than a thousand songs.But
she noticed that many of the best musicians were old, and some of the music was at risk of dying out.
"I was shocked by the beauty of what I heard-it was so good," she says."But it needed support.I hope
to let people see the beauty of these things in the contemporary times."
So Zhu decided to introduce some of the musicians to a wider audience.By doing this, she hopes to
rekindle (再次点燃) the interest of the younger generation."Young people don't like this music much;
they prefer pop music and love songs.They think these songs are something their grandma sings.This kind
of repackaging gives young people a new door into their heritage."
Zhu believes China needs to look again at its own roots."China today is basically all Western art; in
our conservatories (音乐学院) Western classical music is the top," she says."For China to really
contribute to the world, we need to go on our own path.So what can represent China today?" The answer, she suggests, is to move from "made in China" to "created in China".
1. From the first paragraph, we learn that ________.
A. the audience are all young people
B. Guo Yong is playing the Buyi folk music
C. Guo Yong is the only minority performer on the stage
D. tree branches make good musical instruments
2. Which of the following is TRUE of Zhu Zheqin?
A.She teaches music in a conservatories.
B.She is helping preserve Chinese ethnic music.
C.She works as an official in the United Nations.
D.She's created all the music for the Grand Theater.
3. Zhu Zheqin traveled to some of China's remotest regions to ________.
A.record the traditional ethnic music
B.help the local musicians play the music
C.show the UN Chinese musical traditions
D.enjoy the music of various ethnic groups
4. What is Zhu Zheqin's idea about Chinese traditional music?
A. It is completely out of date.
B. Only old musicians play it well.
C. It needs changes to attract young people.
D. It is quickly dying out.
5. What does Zhu Zheqin mean in the last paragraph?
A.The traditional music should be repackaged.
B.Chinese conservatories shouldn't teach Western music.
C.China has contributed a lot to the Western art.
D.Only the things created in China can be symbols of China.
