Wudang holds Folk Song Contest awards ceremony

( chinadaily.com.cn )

Updated: 2012-09-21

The awards ceremony of the sixth China Folk Song Contest was held in Wudang Stadium on the evening of Sept 9. Wang Guosheng, the governor of Hubei province, and Duan Yingbi, the director of the National Village Head Forum committee, attended the ceremony.

The awards ceremony was hosted by Yang Lan, a famous hostess in China, and Jiang Jian, a new host on Hubei TV. Many famous singers performed on stage such as Mao A'min, Sa Dingding and Power Station Band.

Jiang Jian and Yang Lan

A total of 299 contestants from 17 provinces participated in the contest. The contest was divided into three categories, including solo/ensemble/antiphon, group and college singers. One gold prize, two silver prizes and three bronze prizes were given in each category as well as some honorable mentions.

Hubei folk singers won one gold award, one silver prize, two bronze prizes, three honorable mentions and one special prize. Meanwhile, the Hubei provincial culture department received an Outstanding Organization Award.

Saye Erhe, a group from Enshi city in Hubei province, won the gold award. Wang Mingjun, a group representing Changyang folk music, won the bronze award. Wang Ai'min, a Tujia folk singer from Yichang city, and Wu Juan, a Miao folk singer, were known as the "Tu Miao Brother & Sister" and won the silver prize in the solo/ensemble/antiphon category. In the college singer category, a group of six college students from Wuhan Conservatory earned the bronze prize. Eighty-five-year-old Wang Gui and 77-year-old Wang Yue, sisters from Enshi, received the Honorable Heritage Award.

A Tibetan singer

Mao A'min

Contestants from other provinces also found fruitful results. Pan Xingzhou and Yu Qiuyang of Guizhou province won the gold prize in solo/ensemble/antiphon. A group of seven students from Inner Mongolia Normal University were awarded the gold prize in the college category.

In addition, famous performance artists Zhang Jiasheng and Xiefang gave prizes to excellent village officials in the 12th China Village Head Forum at the ceremony.

The awards ceremony had four themes, including Wudang Soul, Jingchu Style, China Charm and Field Passion. The Wudang Kongfu Art Troupe performed a Taichi set. Other famous folk artists also brought wonderful performances, and Mao A Min sang a song at the closing finale.

By Tana