Journey to discover folk

Huadeng Opera is a local traditional folk opera form in which performers holding handkerchiefs and hand fans dance and sing in the local language.

"They showed me the moves and songs of Huadeng Opera, which I have never seen before. I learned a lot from them, much more than just reading the book," recalls Gong, adding that she also taught them to sing her songs, such as Tan Te, in return.

Gong then headed toward the villages of Nanjian Yi autonomous county, Yunnan, about 30 kilometers away from Midu.

Nanjian is known for tiaocai, a style of Yi ethnic folk dance. During celebrations, once the guests have taken their seats, performers of tiaocai begin dancing while carrying the dishes on their heads.

In 2008, tiaocai was placed on the national intangible cultural heritage list.

One of the people Gong visited in Nanjian was 54-year-old Lu Chaojin, who lives in a village called Apaxin, part of Baohua township, and hidden among the mountains. He learned to perform tiaocai at 16 years old from his father and grandfather. He has trained about 3,000 people to practice the dance and co-founded 27 tiaocai performing troupes in Nanjian. He also led his students to perform on national television in Beijing.

"He taught me to dance while carrying dishes on my head but I failed. It was so hard to sing, dance and present the dishes intact. I really admire his skills," Gong says.