Ukrainian band the star draw in once poor village
Print Edition
It is rare to see foreigners playing Chinese folk music in a remote Chinese village, but a five-member Ukrainian band has become a big draw in north China’s Hebei Province, where Zhouwo Village is located.
The five Ukrainians arrived last November, under the invitation of an art school, to teach residents to play musical instruments. They work part-time playing in a village coffee shop.
Bogdan Kozub, 25, plays saxophone and is the youngest member of the band. He grew up in Odessa, one of the largest cities in Ukraine, where he began learning to play the instrument at the age of 10.
The village, which is in Wuqiang County, and its residents surprised him.
“Almost everyone in the village plays Western instruments, which I have not seen in my country,” Kozub said. “It is marvelous that Western musical culture can integrate into Chinese culture so well.”
Those in the coffee shop audience, the majority of whom are locals, often talk with the Ukrainians about how to play instruments after the performance. Although they don’t speak each other’s language, they use translation apps to facilitate communication.
The band sometimes plays Chinese music, such as the traditional folk song “Jasmine” or the pop song “A Woman’s Heart,” while villagers sometimes play the well-known Russian folk song “Katyusha.”
In the village, music is the common language.
“The villagers are very talented, but they lack formalized education. I am really touched that all of them love music from their hearts. I would like to teach them,” Kozub said.
Zhouwo might have been a poor village, but it’s no ordinary one. It has a memorial hall dedicated to Beatles singer John Lennon, guitar factories, coffee shops and pubs. The buildings have also been refurbished with both Chinese and Western characteristics.
“This is the musical Utopia that I have been searching for. It is a great source of inspiration for my creativity,” Kozub said.
The fate of the village, as well as the county, has changed as an increasing numbers of musical instrument manufacturers have opened factories there over the past 20 years.
Jinyin Group is one of the most successful companies.
It produces more than 800,000 instruments every year, including guitars, violins, clarinets, and saxophones. More than 85 percent of its stock is exported to more than 30 countries and regions around the world.
The group has developed into one of the largest orchestral instrument manufactories in China. Wuqiang County is now a major production base for orchestral instruments, with more than 50 instrument manufacturing plants, employing 20,000 workers.
Most staff are villagers from the county or nearby areas. They learn to play instruments in their spare time.
Guo Yuguan was a farmer before she secured a job at Jinyin nearly 20 years ago. Since retiring, she spends a lot of time practicing saxophone.
“In the past, we used to chat and play mahjong during slow farming seasons. Now we talk about music and instruments everyday. I am able to learn a new song in just 10 days,” she said.
“The factories not only bring jobs for farmers, but also enhance their spiritual lives. Since music entered their lives, folk customs in the county have become more harmonious,” said Zhou Guangting, Party secretary of the village.
As well as its prosperous musical instrument manufacturing industry, the village has been making efforts to develop itself into a tourist attraction.
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