Farmer singers win 1st prize in Spring Festival Gala

A pair of farmer singers have won the top prize for their performance in China Central Television (CCTV) Spring Festival Gala, one of China's most-watched TV events, according to a report from the CCTV released on Thursday.

The two migrant workers, Wang Xu, 44, and Liu Gang, 29, rose to immediate fame in Beijing after their heart-wrenching rendition of the song "In the Spring" was posted on the Internet last year. The pair attracted tens of thousands of followers online as many of China's farmer-turned workers, who are working in cities to support their families in rural areas, admitted that they were moved by their singing.

Wang and Liu were invited to perform on the stage of the CCTV Spring Festival Gala on Feb. 2. The show was aired live globally and attracted a huge audience.

By introducing ordinary Chinese performers, the gala, which normally gathers China's superstars, is seemingly striving to connect with grassroots groups, especially migrant workers, according to commentators.

Millions of farmers have migrated to China's coastal regions and major cities since the late 1980s. Government figures show that their number stood at 230 million in 2009.

Over the years, farmer-turned migrant workers have emerged as a major part of China's industrial workers.

They often take low-paying jobs due to their lack of education and skills. Most of them send their salaries to their families in underdeveloped rural areas.

Copyright Dispute

In a recent development, the farmer singers duo have been banned from performing the song "In The Spring" in public after objections from the song's composer, Wang Feng.

"The reason why I allowed them to sing my song at the beginning was to help them, but I have to stop it after finding out that my kindness was being taken advantage of," said Wang Feng.

In a blog post dated Feb. 11, Wang said that his company had told the duo many times to sing their own song, but they still kept using his work in a variety of shows and activities.

Wang Xu and Liu Gang have posted their apologies to Wang Feng on their blog, admitting that they knew little about entertainment circles.

The two singing farmers are reported to be considering composing songs themselves or hiring professionals to write songs for them.

When asked to comment on the controversy, Wang Ziqiang, a senior official with National Copyright Administration, told a local newspaper that singers should have more knowledge about copyrights and avoid infringing on the intellectual property rights of others at public performances.