Village Songs Sing the Beauty of Hometown in Tianjin
On a summer evening at the foot of Panshan Mountain in Tianjin’s Jizhou District, the second Village Mountain Song Festival opened with 14 locally composed songs celebrating the region’s scenery and daily life. As guitarist Xing Junshan played the opening notes of “Under the Great Wall Is My Home,” villagers and tourists alike joined in, humming along to lyrics about the Great Wall and the beauty of their hometown, according to Guangming Daily.
A Grassroots Musical Tradition
Jizhou’s village songs are deliberately down-to-earth rather than grand or high-end. “These songs are down-to-earth and sincere; they sing about things right around us,” villagers said after the concert. The tradition runs deep in the district, where small communities have embraced music as a way to express cultural identity and pride in rural life.
The tiny village of Yushizhuang, home to just 80 households, has produced several beloved village songs. Its most famous composition, “Panshan High,” features lyrics by renowned poet Qiao Yu, music by celebrated composer Xu Peidong, and was performed by famous tenor Yan Weiwen. In 2011, the song won three awards from over 1,200 village songs nationally—Top Ten Chinese Village Songs, Best Lyrics Gold Award, and Best Composition Gold Award—and was performed at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
“Since then, ‘Panshan High’ has become a reserved piece at the village’s annual Spring Festival Gala,” said Gao Liwei, Party Secretary of Yushizhuang Village. “Basically everyone, adults and children alike, can sing it. It hasn’t stopped for decades.”
Nurturing Local Talent
The growth of village songs in Jizhou owes much to the Jiyunhua Literary Creation Studio, established in 2021 and supported by the Jizhou District Party Committee Propaganda Department and the District Youth League Committee. The studio brings together local literary and artistic talents, transforming what was once solitary creative work into collaborative production.
Members venture into communities, villages, and mountain valleys seeking inspiration from local culture, history, and folk customs. Xing Junshan, a local singer-songwriter, wrote “Going to the Market” after seeing a traditional market scene with candied hawthorns, fried sunflower seeds, and fried dough twists—memories that sparked a melody from his childhood.
Li Hongmei, a music teacher at Jizhou No. 4 Middle School and studio member, recalled performing a classic piano piece at a village entrance. “Whenever I stand on stage and see the villagers below approving of my creation, that happiness cannot be exchanged for anything,” she said.
Culture Driving Economic Growth
The cultural initiatives have generated tangible economic benefits. Since 2022, Yushizhuang Village has hosted an annual Spring Festival Cultural Festival running from the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month to the 15th day of the first lunar month. During this period, all homestays are fully booked, with some guests even booking rooms for the following year. Per capita village income has increased by 30,000 yuan (approximately $4,200) since 2022, and many young people are returning to the village to participate in its development.
The second Village Mountain Song Festival, held on June 29 at the foot of Panshan Mountain, also launched the 2026 Hundred Flowers Offer Auspiciousness, Culture Moistens Jizhou Literary Arts Season and the Panshan Summer Garden Party, which run through October and cover the entire summer vacation period, as CRI Online reported.
A Model for Rural Revitalization
Jizhou’s village song movement is part of a broader national effort to strengthen grassroots cultural infrastructure. The Village Songs Resounding program, a Tianjin municipal initiative, collects original songs from rural areas across the city and is part of the national Strong Foundation Project led by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles.
The event featured professional singers, grassroots performers, and cultural volunteers performing together, embodying the principle of “the people performing, the people watching, the people enjoying.” Wu Yanhua, Deputy Director of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles Volunteer Service Center, described the event as a landmark practice of the Strong Foundation Project, according to China.com.cn.
Qiao Chunlong, head of the Jizhou District Federation of Literary and Art Circles, emphasized the government’s role in creating platforms for cultural expression. “The Party committee and government set up the stage and connect the resources, so the people can enjoy quality performances right at their doorstep, featuring the people and things they know best.”
What’s Next
As China Economic Net noted in a commentary, village songs are songs that grow from the soil—rooted in the lives of ordinary people. Jizhou has recently launched its Village Light Avenue platform, following the success of village songs, to give more residents opportunities to showcase their talents.
“I hope that through catchy village songs, we can sing out the beauty and characteristics of Jizhou, letting village songs travel further and further,” Qiao Chunlong said. As the district continues to blend culture with tourism, its musical tradition is poised to grow even stronger, bringing the beauty of hometowns to audiences far beyond the mountain foothills where they were born.