Feature: Dutch scholar's quest into world of Chinese folk songs

This undated photo shows Frank Kouwenhoven (L) filming a Hua'er folk music event in Minxian County, northwest China's Gansu Province.(Photo by Li Yanyan/Xinhua)

By Xinhua writers Jia Zhao, Yuan Quan and Lang Bingbing

LANZHOU, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- At a summer music festival in the picturesque countryside of northwest China's Gansu Province, a tall man with a typical Western appearance, donning a cap, jacket and glasses, mingled with locals in diverse ethnic costumes while filming the Chinese folk festivities with a genial smile.

This 68-year-old Dutch scholar, Frank Kouwenhoven, is neither a traveler nor a vlogger but has dedicated 20 years to studying Hua'er, a folk song popular in northwest China.

Hua'er literally means "flower" in Chinese. This oral art form, expressed in various dialects, originates from lyrics that compare women to flowers and has been cherished by nine different ethnic groups for over six hundred years. In 2009, UNESCO recognized Hua'er as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

Though Kouwenhoven can barely understand the improvised Chinese lyrics, he is captivated by the performers -- a group of farmers -- who, in their spare time, gather in forests or on vast prairies to sing Hua'er for hours or even days, sharing their stories of life and love through music.

"I can sense the joy from their faces," he said. "The singers certainly have their pressures and hardships in daily lives, but when they sing, it's like they discover a sanctuary garden where troubles fade away and their hearts can bloom freely," Kouwenhoven added, talking about his understanding of the Chinese folk art.

He described Hua'er not only as a living art but also as a shared passion with his wife, Antoinet Schimmelpenninck.

They first met in 1985 in Leiden, the Netherlands, where Kouwenhoven was a magazine reporter and Schimmelpenninck was studying Chinese language and culture at Leiden University. They fell in love shortly after. From 1986 to 1987, while Schimmelpenninck was a visiting scholar in cities like Nanjing and Shanghai, she developed a strong interest in Chinese folk music. During their vacations, they frequently traveled together to southern China to collect folk songs, a shared experience that enriched her doctoral thesis and brought them closer. They eventually married in 1992.

In the early years of reform and opening up, China not only opened its market to global investors but also showcased its rich culture on the world stage.

To promote Chinese folk music in the West, the couple established the European Foundation for Chinese Music Research and launched an academic journal CHIME (Chinese Music Research). They regularly organized international conferences, inviting both Chinese and European musicians, and provided funding for hundreds of Chinese traditional orchestras to showcase their performances worldwide.

However, the more they delved into Chinese folk music, the more they realized that the songs hidden in rural areas were even more precious.

"We wanted to discover authentic folk songs rather than performance-based ones. We were advised to go to Gansu and Qinghai provinces where people sing a traditional living folk song called Hua'er," Kouwenhoven recalled. Since then, the couple has embarked on a treasure hunt in northwest China.

In 1997, they discovered folk songs in several villages in southern Gansu, including those of the Tibetan and Hui ethnic groups.

"In the beautiful mountains and forests, hundreds of people gathered, singing songs that resonated with their souls," Kouwenhoven said, recalling how he was in awe at witnessing the performance for the first time. "They sang from their hearts, solely for themselves."

To explore the significance of Hua'er in the lives of local people, he and his wife often chatted with singers, forging bonds over snacks and beers. Sometimes, they even stayed at the homes of the local singers to fully immerse themselves in their lives.

They discovered that the folk singers' ease on stage contrasted with their unease in daily life. Kouwenhoven believes that music, as a natural expression of emotions, can help individuals find happiness and solace amid life's pressures.

From 1997 to 2009, they explored all the major Hua'er festivals in Gansu. Just as the couple's research on Hua'er was nearing results, Kouwenhoven's wife passed away from cancer in 2012, leaving him devastated. The Hua'er project was subsequently put on hold, becoming an emotional burden he was reluctant to confront.

He returned to Gansu in 2017 after realizing that the best way to honor his late wife was to continue their joint research on Hua'er.

"So I improved my Chinese. I managed to find my way back here to continue," Kouwenhoven said.

"As I continued my trip in China, I could sense the presence of my wife beside me. We share many common aspirations, such as our desire to conquer the highest mountain and immerse ourselves in the most vibrant Hua'er," Kouwenhoven said in Chinese.

To promote Chinese folk music, he donated a vast collection of research books and music materials, including the folk songs they had gathered over the years in China, to the libraries of Heidelberg University and Leiden University, hoping that this would encourage more young scholars to engage in research in this field.

"I have plans to write two books. One about the music and the other about our adventurous trip searching for Hua'er," Kouwenhoven said, sharing his future plans.