Kam Grand Choirs: Music From Heaven

Mo Tingitng

If someone wants to escape from the noisy city life and experience a special rural life， the Dong villages in Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County is the best choice， which will offer you a chance to approach some of the most fascinating Dong villages that you would like to encounter. Kam Grand Choirs， traditional drum tower， customs and unique items， portray the social lives of the Dong people. Whats more， over 1，000 festivals celebrated by the Dong people each year in Sanjiang are worth trying， which will provide you with the best opportunity to appreciate their exotic and colorful costumes and experience their simple and original living habits.

Everlasting sounds of nature

Adele Adkins has made a hit for her Rolling in the Deep. Some people thought it was overwhelming while others regarded it as “a flash in the pan”. To truly feel the music， you can listen to the fair-sounding Kam Grand Choirs （a kind of music of the Dong people） from Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County， Guangxi.

Honored as the “Land of Kam Grand Choirs”， Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County situated in Liuzhou is probably one of the most famous places in Guangxi. Each year in late March， there are the Kam Grand Choirs Festival， during which one can listen to the refreshing sounds of Lusheng （a reed-pipe wind instrument）， and experience the unpretentious Kam Grand Choirs. The Kam Grand Choirs， which prevails in Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County， originates from the sounds of nature. Nowadays， Kam Grand Choirs， a rare polyphonic folk chorus music with no obbligato or conductor， has become a wonder. The most noteworthy is that the Kam Grand Choir was listed in the “Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity” by the UNESCO in September 2009.

Walking into Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County， a desire to indulge yourself is very likely to be stirred up by the ancient and grand Kam Grand Choirs coming from the drum tower from time to time. It is a kind of music which must be performed by at least three people. The more people are involved， the better effect it is. The magnificent melody as well as Dong peoples enthusiasm cater to peoples inner desire of “indulgence”， making them hard to get away. To outsiders， the sheer diversity and passion of these songs are simply overwhelming and spellbinding.

It feels wonderful to listen to the Kam Grand Choirs which starts with a clear and sharp note of bird or insect. These simple sounds from nature， resembling the “butterfly effect”， demonstrate the diligence and wisdom of Dong people， their persistence in and appreciation for true love and friendship， as well as the harmonious views between man and nature.

Dong people's life is filled with music and almost every Dong village has a chorus. On every “Kam Grand Choirs Festival"， "Harvest Day"， or "Spring Festival"， there are always grand antiphonal singing activities and singing competitions in the Dong area， even between villages， which are bustling and full of joys. On these occasions， young boys and girls become the most eye-caching and vigorous "singers"， as in many cases， they would look for their beloved ones in the events， get to know and date with each other， and tie the knots in the end.

The Dong people believe that “rice feeds the body and songs feed the heart”. As the spiritual food of Dong people， songs cultivate peoples state of mind and sentiment， and unite their knowledge and culture. Dong people hold fast to the tradition of passing down their songs from generation to generation. They love these songs， take pleasure in learning and singing them， take pride in being able to sing them， and express their feelings and emotions through them. Han people pass down their characters by books while Dong people pass down their words by songs. This is perhaps a good proof that the culture of Dong people always distinguishes itself in the long history.

Evergreen Tree in Dong villages

Kam Grand Choir permeates all aspects of Dong people's life， and have become an integral part of it. Once a Dong song comes into vogue in the village， it will gradually become an everlasting classic in most cases. The "Kam Grand Choirs"， are exactly this type of classics， which constitute the essence of the Dong songs. With the customs， personality， mentality and life of Dong people incorporated into them， they have become the most authentic records and heritage of the Dong people's cultural history.

Speaking of Kam Grand Choirs， we cannot throw a veil over the drum tower， which has become an integral part of the former. As the landmark building of Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County， the drum tower serves as a great treasure of Dongs culture. Where there is a Dong village， there will be drum towers. According to the old people， the drum tower is compared to the tree of the village， without which the village would lose its cohesive force that leads to its development and prosperity.

Walking into Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County， you can approach these wooden houses. Thisis a picturesque village noted for the beautiful natural sights and unique ethnic flavor. Located in Moon Street， Sanjiang Drum Tower is known far and wide for its unique styles.

Endowed with the element of "music"， the drum tower has a unique structure that can be rated superb. It takes the shape of a pagoda， almost made of wood all over except for the stone-built footing， with all the wood tenoned rather than nailed. Inside the building， one can find stone fireplaces and wooden benches for rest. On the top， there is usually a statue of gourd， a symbol to bring good luck and health to the village， which appears to be solemn and noble in the sunset glow. Looking down from the top， one can see rows of exquisite and elegant eaves， like home-coming swallows resting at the tower. Moreover， pictures of the lifelike figures， landscapes， flowers and birds， as well as living customs are illustrated across the eave tiles， a handy resource for one to feel and fancy the charm of Sanjiang.

Whenever there are festivals or visiting guests， dressed-up boys and girls in Sanjiang Dong Village will gather below the drum tower， and express their warm welcome to the guests or show their love and affections hidden deep in heart for their beloved ones by singing songs with their plain and natural voices. Some visitors even joked that “I would like to live another five hundred years if I could stay in a Dong village”.