Sounds of the grasslands

Altengaro, a musician from Xilin Gol, says his dream of exploring the world outside the grasslands brought him to perform in cities and abroad. Jiang Dong / For China Daily

Matouqin instrument joins orchestra

Moerdaoga National Forest Park, a pure white wonderland

Percussionist Baoyin, 37, was once a lead drummer with the Military Orchestra of the People's Liberation Army. He left the orchestra to study at Tokyo University of the Arts in 2001 and spent a few years playing with a Mongolian band in Japan.

"Collaborating with musicians from different cultures is interesting and helpful. Through improvisation, we broaden the use of Mongolian instruments as well as create new trends in the world music," the drummer says.

Born in a folk musician's family, Borjigin-kho, 31, his sister and younger brother all learned traditional instruments from their father.

"Music is in our blood," says Borjigin-koh. "We tame animals with the morin khuur and celebrate festivals with long songs. The old people tell Mongolian legends with the morin khuur and a 2-year-old boy will pick up either a morin khuur or a hubosi."

After graduating from the National University of Mongolia in Ulan Bator, Borjigin-koh came to Beijing and worked with musicians from different countries.

Though most Mongolians now live in urban towns, far from the morin khuur's historical and spiritual home, the surviving nomadic communities preserve the musical tradition.

"The same dream to explore the world outside the grasslands has brought us together to perform in big cities and tour abroad. But we never forget our roots. We keep returning to the grasslands every year for nutrition," says Altengaro.