Shandao

As a renowned Chinese folk band from Yunnan, one of the most ethnically diverse parts of southern China, Shanren has made a comeback since their last album in 2013. After winning the Chinese mainstream music show Sing My Song in 2016, the band moved back from Beijing to Yunnan. Shifting from their traditionally acoustic set-up to a more electronic sound, this album is bold experimentation that breaks free from the old image since their debut in 1999. The opening track, ‘Birdsong’, is an interpretation of a folk song of the Wa people, which talks about love. The beautiful vocal line introduces the main melody first, then the riffs of the echoing electric guitar appear, along with the rhythmic drums and the traditional plucked lutes (dabiya and xianzi). The modern electronic elements complement the traditional Yi ceremonial and Buddhist chants, mixing the secular and the sacred.

Shan means ‘mountain’ in Chinese, and that is an ongoing theme throughout Shanren’s music. Shanren means ‘People of the Mountain’ and Shandao implies ‘The Way of the Mountain.’ Perhaps this album is a musical way to connect the path of the old Yunnan mountains to the contemporary world we live in today.