No matter how far we've come along, the past is never far away. Folk songs will always have a place in our hearts. And that was the case for King of the West. On Tuesday night, the audience at the Forbidden City Concert Hall thrilled to the sound of countryside voices. Their passionate performance was filled with an earthy beauty hardly seen in modern cities.

The singing relay began with a song to a great national hero. Folk singers from western China came together to entertain Beijing audiences with their different voices. Tibetan, Mongolian and other ethnic minority singers performed their traditional ballads. The King of West is a folk singing contest, designed to please city tastes. But some singers from the mountains of western China have reservations.

Shi Zhanming, folk singer, said, "When I came back to my village and resumed my ordinary life as a shepherd, people didn't understand. They thought I earned a lot of money. Actually, I didn't earn a penny from the TV show. I'm still a shepherd."

Enjoy for awhile the shepherd's soaring voice. The high-pitch voice can conjure up a countryside scene in your mind's eye.

China boasts 56 ethnic groups and each one has its own distinctive arts. As the art market matures, rural folk artists are coming to the big cities, bringing a new yet familiar sound to city dwellers.

(CCTV.com April 29, 2004)