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China day at Osaka expo

Women in traditional Chinese costume perform "erhu" two-stringed musical instruments during a ceremony marking China day at the World Exposition in Osaka on July 11, 2025. (Pool photo)

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CHINA-LIAONING-YINGKOU-DONGBEI DAGU-INHERITOR (CN)

(240204) -- YINGKOU, Feb. 4, 2024 (Xinhua) -- Wang Yanjuan plays sanxian, a three-stringed instrument, at home in Yingkou, northeast China's Liaoning Province, Feb. 1, 2024. "Dongbei Dagu," a folk art of drum music and recitative, is listed as a national intangible cultural heritage. Wang Yanjuan, an inheritor of the folk art, performed three hours at a folk custom fair in Bayuquan District of Yingkou City during Chinese Xiaonian Festival. The festival, also known as the Kitchen God Festival, fell on Feb. 2 this year in northern China. Deeply influenced by her father since childhood, Wang has devoted herself to passing on the cultural heritage of "Dongbei Dagu" by cherishing the traditions and tapping the innovative potentials. To better promote the art, Wang has performed where she is needed full of enthusiasm, including fields, stages, schools and shopping malls. (Xinhua/Yao Jianfeng)

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China-Cambodia intangible heritage exhibition enchants visitors

STORY: China-Cambodia intangible heritage exhibition enchants visitors SHOOTING TIME: Jan. 21, 2024 DATELINE: Jan. 22, 2024 LENGTH: 0:02:14 LOCATION: Phnom Penh CATEGORY: CULTURE SHOTLIST: 1. various of the exhibition 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Khmer): HENG CHEAN Y, Visitor 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Khmer): KEO CHAN CHAIYUTH, Visitor STORYLINE: A China-Cambodia "Beauty of Intangible Heritage" exhibition kicked off in the Cambodian capital on Sunday, captivating hundreds of visitors. The 15-day exhibition showcased creative artworks including tea sets, book lights, bookmarks, and purple clay teapots painted with Bauhinia flowers, among others. At the opening ceremony, Chinese intangible cultural heritage inheritors presented the grand song of the Dong ethnic group to the audience, as Cambodian artists introduced Chapei Dang Veng, a long-necked, two-stringed lute. SOUNDBITE 1 (Khmer): HENG CHEAN Y, Visitor "I really like Chinese intangible cultural heritage properties because I can gain insight into their culture, history,

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CHINA-GUANGXI-GUILIN-TOURISM EXHIBITION (CN)

(231013) -- GUILIN, Oct. 13, 2023 (Xinhua) -- A woman plays a single-stringed folk instrument at the 2023 China-ASEAN Expo Tourism Exhibition in Guilin, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Oct. 13, 2023. (Xinhua/Lu Boan)

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CHINA-GUANGXI-JING ETHNIC GROUP-SINGLE-STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT (CN)

(230816) -- DONGXING, Aug. 16, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Su Haizhen, head of a museum of the Jing ethnic group and an inheritor of the art of the single-stringed instrument of the Jing ethnic group, plays for visitors at her museum, in Dongxing, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 13, 2023. The Jing is the only maritime ethnic group in China, most of its members living on the three islands off the coast of Dongxing in Guangxi. The single-stringed instrument, or "duxianqin" in transliteration, is unique to the Jing culture, capable of presenting exquisite melodies with the only string it has. The art of duxianqin was formally recognized by the Chinese national government as a piece of intangible cultural heritage in 2011. (Xinhua/Fei Maohua)

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CHINA-GUANGXI-JING ETHNIC GROUP-SINGLE-STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT (CN)

(230816) -- DONGXING, Aug. 16, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Su Haizhen, head of a museum of the Jing ethnic group and an inheritor of the art of the single-stringed instrument of the Jing ethnic group, plays for visitors at her museum, in Dongxing, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 13, 2023. The Jing is the only maritime ethnic group in China, most of its members living on the three islands off the coast of Dongxing in Guangxi. The single-stringed instrument, or "duxianqin" in transliteration, is unique to the Jing culture, capable of presenting exquisite melodies with the only string it has. The art of duxianqin was formally recognized by the Chinese national government as a piece of intangible cultural heritage in 2011. (Xinhua/Zhang Ailin)

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CHINA-GUANGXI-JING ETHNIC GROUP-SINGLE-STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT (CN)

(230816) -- DONGXING, Aug. 16, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Su Haizhen, head of a museum of the Jing ethnic group and an inheritor of the art of the single-stringed instrument of the Jing ethnic group, directs her students during their practice, in Dongxing, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 13, 2023. The Jing is the only maritime ethnic group in China, most of its members living on the three islands off the coast of Dongxing in Guangxi. The single-stringed instrument, or "duxianqin" in transliteration, is unique to the Jing culture, capable of presenting exquisite melodies with the only string it has. The art of duxianqin was formally recognized by the Chinese national government as a piece of intangible cultural heritage in 2011. (Xinhua/Zhou Hua)

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CHINA-GUANGXI-JING ETHNIC GROUP-SINGLE-STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT (CN)

(230816) -- DONGXING, Aug. 16, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Su Haizhen, head of a museum of the Jing ethnic group and an inheritor of the art of the single-stringed instrument of the Jing ethnic group, plays for visitors at her museum, in Dongxing, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 13, 2023. The Jing is the only maritime ethnic group in China, most of its members living on the three islands off the coast of Dongxing in Guangxi. The single-stringed instrument, or "duxianqin" in transliteration, is unique to the Jing culture, capable of presenting exquisite melodies with the only string it has. The art of duxianqin was formally recognized by the Chinese national government as a piece of intangible cultural heritage in 2011. (Xinhua/Zhang Ailin)

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(Chengdu Universiade)CHINA-CHENGDU-WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES-CULTURAL ACTIVITY(CN)

(230802) -- CHENGDU, Aug. 2, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Alexandr Bulat (L) of Moldova learns to play Guqin, seven-stringed plucked instrument, with the help of Wang Ting, a researcher of Sichuan Conservatory of Music at the Village of the 31st FISU Summer World University Games in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 31, 2023. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan)

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Charm of China's guqin culture

STORY: Charm of China's guqin culture DATELINE: April 19, 2023 LENGTH: 00:02:04 LOCATION: XIAMEN, China CATEGORY: CULTURE SHOTLIST: 1. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): HUANG ZHILU, Guqin teacher 2. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): LEEN, Jordanian journalist 3. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): HUANG ZHILU, Guqin teacher 4. SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): LEEN, Jordanian journalist 5. SOUNDBITE 5 (Chinese): HUANG ZHILU, Guqin teacher 6. SOUNDBITE 6 (Chinese): HUANG ZHILU, Guqin teacher 7. SOUNDBITE 7 (Chinese): LEEN, Jordanian journalist 8. SOUNDBITE 8 (Chinese): XIE JIANDONG, Founder of Longren Academy 9. SOUNDBITE 9 (Chinese): LEEN, Jordanian journalist 10. SOUNDBITE 10 (Chinese): XIE JIANDONG, Founder of Longren Academy 11. SOUNDBITE 11 (Arabic): LEEN, Jordanian journalist 12. various of Guqin and the Longren Academy STORYLINE: Guqin is an ancient seven-stringed zither. It is one of the oldest musical instruments in China, with more than 3,000 years of history. A Jordanian journalist has experienced the culture of guqin in Xiamen, east China

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CAMBODIA-SIEM REAP-ANGKOR-SANKRANTA FESTIVAL

(230414) -- SIEM REAP, April 14, 2023 (Xinhua) -- A large Chapei Dang Veng, the long-necked, two-stringed lute, is displayed at the Sankranta festival in Siem Reap province, Cambodia on April 14, 2023. Cambodia kicked off the three-day Sankranta festival, or the Khmer New Year celebration, at the famed Angkor Archeological Park on Friday. (Photo by Ly Lay/Xinhua)

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Event in Beijing to promote Japan-bound trips

A man plays the "sanshin" three-stringed traditional instrument from Japan's Okinawa Prefecture during an event held at the Japanese Embassy in Beijing on March 31, 2023, to promote tourism to Japan. The number of Chinese visitors to Japan has plunged in the past three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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CHINA-TIBET-MUSICAL INSTRUMENT-CULTURAL HERITAGE (CN)

(230123) -- LHASA, Jan. 23, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Sonam Chungla cuts a piece of wood for making Zhanian instrument in Lnaze County, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Jan. 19, 2023. Zhanian, a stringed instrument, is widely used in songs and dances in Tibet. In Tibetan language, Zhanian is the word for the melodious sound. Zhanian making has a long history and the making technique was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2014. Living in Lnaze County, a place known for Zhanian making, the 47-year-old Sonam Chungla learned the skills from his father when he was 14 and became an inheritor of this intangible cultural heritage later. Sonam Chungla has always been committed to protecting and carrying forward the instrument-making techniques. He set up a cooperative with his friends in 2010 to produce Zhanian. With improved craft and financial support from local authorities, the cooperative runs well and Zhanian instruments they made are gaining popularity. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

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CHINA-TIBET-MUSICAL INSTRUMENT-CULTURAL HERITAGE (CN)

(230123) -- LHASA, Jan. 23, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Sonam Chungla (L) and his assistant pick a piece of wood for making Zhanian instrument in Lnaze County, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Jan. 19, 2023. Zhanian, a stringed instrument, is widely used in songs and dances in Tibet. In Tibetan language, Zhanian is the word for the melodious sound. Zhanian making has a long history and the making technique was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2014. Living in Lnaze County, a place known for Zhanian making, the 47-year-old Sonam Chungla learned the skills from his father when he was 14 and became an inheritor of this intangible cultural heritage later. Sonam Chungla has always been committed to protecting and carrying forward the instrument-making techniques. He set up a cooperative with his friends in 2010 to produce Zhanian. With improved craft and financial support from local authorities, the cooperative runs well and Zhanian instruments they made are gaining popularity. (X

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CHINA-TIBET-MUSICAL INSTRUMENT-CULTURAL HERITAGE (CN)

(230123) -- LHASA, Jan. 23, 2023 (Xinhua) -- A craftsman tunes a newly-made Zhanian instrument in Lnaze County, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Jan. 19, 2023. Zhanian, a stringed instrument, is widely used in songs and dances in Tibet. In Tibetan language, Zhanian is the word for the melodious sound. Zhanian making has a long history and the making technique was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2014. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

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CHINA-TIBET-MUSICAL INSTRUMENT-CULTURAL HERITAGE (CN)

(230123) -- LHASA, Jan. 23, 2023 (Xinhua) -- A craftsman makes a Zhanian instrument in Lnaze County, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Jan. 19, 2023. Zhanian, a stringed instrument, is widely used in songs and dances in Tibet. In Tibetan language, Zhanian is the word for the melodious sound. Zhanian making has a long history and the making technique was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2014. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

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CHINA-TIBET-MUSICAL INSTRUMENT-CULTURAL HERITAGE (CN)

(230123) -- LHASA, Jan. 23, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Sonam Chungla makes a Zhanian instrument in Lnaze County, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Jan. 19, 2023. Zhanian, a stringed instrument, is widely used in songs and dances in Tibet. In Tibetan language, Zhanian is the word for the melodious sound. Zhanian making has a long history and the making technique was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2014. Living in Lnaze County, a place known for Zhanian making, the 47-year-old Sonam Chungla learned the skills from his father when he was 14 and became an inheritor of this intangible cultural heritage later. Sonam Chungla has always been committed to protecting and carrying forward the instrument-making techniques. He set up a cooperative with his friends in 2010 to produce Zhanian. With improved craft and financial support from local authorities, the cooperative runs well and Zhanian instruments they made are gaining popularity. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

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CHINA-TIBET-MUSICAL INSTRUMENT-CULTURAL HERITAGE (CN)

(230123) -- LHASA, Jan. 23, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Craftsmen pose for photos with Zhanian instruments made on their own in Lnaze County, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Jan. 19, 2023. Zhanian, a stringed instrument, is widely used in songs and dances in Tibet. In Tibetan language, Zhanian is the word for the melodious sound. Zhanian making has a long history and the making technique was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2014. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

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CHINA-TIBET-MUSICAL INSTRUMENT-CULTURAL HERITAGE (CN)

(230123) -- LHASA, Jan. 23, 2023 (Xinhua) -- The elder son of Sonam Chungla makes a Zhanian instrument in Lnaze County, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Jan. 19, 2023. Zhanian, a stringed instrument, is widely used in songs and dances in Tibet. In Tibetan language, Zhanian is the word for the melodious sound. Zhanian making has a long history and the making technique was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2014. Living in Lnaze County, a place known for Zhanian making, the 47-year-old Sonam Chungla learned the skills from his father when he was 14 and became an inheritor of this intangible cultural heritage later. Sonam Chungla has always been committed to protecting and carrying forward the instrument-making techniques. He set up a cooperative with his friends in 2010 to produce Zhanian. With improved craft and financial support from local authorities, the cooperative runs well and Zhanian instruments they made are gaining popularity. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

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CHINA-TIBET-MUSICAL INSTRUMENT-CULTURAL HERITAGE (CN)

(230123) -- LHASA, Jan. 23, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Craftsmen make Zhanian instruments in Lnaze County, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Jan. 19, 2023. Zhanian, a stringed instrument, is widely used in songs and dances in Tibet. In Tibetan language, Zhanian is the word for the melodious sound. Zhanian making has a long history and the making technique was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2014. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

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CHINA-TIBET-MUSICAL INSTRUMENT-CULTURAL HERITAGE (CN)

(230123) -- LHASA, Jan. 23, 2023 (Xinhua) -- A performer with a Zhanian instrument prepares to stage a show in Mangpu Township of Lnaze County, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Jan. 21, 2023. Zhanian, a stringed instrument, is widely used in songs and dances in Tibet. In Tibetan language, Zhanian is the word for the melodious sound. Zhanian making has a long history and the making technique was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2014. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

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CHINA-TIBET-MUSICAL INSTRUMENT-CULTURAL HERITAGE (CN)

(230123) -- LHASA, Jan. 23, 2023 (Xinhua) -- The younger son of Sonam Chungla makes a Zhanian instrument in Lnaze County, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Jan. 19, 2023. Zhanian, a stringed instrument, is widely used in songs and dances in Tibet. In Tibetan language, Zhanian is the word for the melodious sound. Zhanian making has a long history and the making technique was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2014. Living in Lnaze County, a place known for Zhanian making, the 47-year-old Sonam Chungla learned the skills from his father when he was 14 and became an inheritor of this intangible cultural heritage later. Sonam Chungla has always been committed to protecting and carrying forward the instrument-making techniques. He set up a cooperative with his friends in 2010 to produce Zhanian. With improved craft and financial support from local authorities, the cooperative runs well and Zhanian instruments they made are gaining popularity. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

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CHINA-TIBET-MUSICAL INSTRUMENT-CULTURAL HERITAGE (CN)

(230123) -- LHASA, Jan. 23, 2023 (Xinhua) -- A craftsman makes a Zhanian instrument in Lnaze County, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Jan. 19, 2023. Zhanian, a stringed instrument, is widely used in songs and dances in Tibet. In Tibetan language, Zhanian is the word for the melodious sound. Zhanian making has a long history and the making technique was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2014. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

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CHINA-TIBET-MUSICAL INSTRUMENT-CULTURAL HERITAGE (CN)

(230123) -- LHASA, Jan. 23, 2023 (Xinhua) -- A craftsman makes a Zhanian instrument in Lnaze County, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Jan. 19, 2023. Zhanian, a stringed instrument, is widely used in songs and dances in Tibet. In Tibetan language, Zhanian is the word for the melodious sound. Zhanian making has a long history and the making technique was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2014. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

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CHINA-TIBET-MUSICAL INSTRUMENT-CULTURAL HERITAGE (CN)

(230123) -- LHASA, Jan. 23, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Craftsmen make Zhanian instruments in Lnaze County, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Jan. 19, 2023. Zhanian, a stringed instrument, is widely used in songs and dances in Tibet. In Tibetan language, Zhanian is the word for the melodious sound. Zhanian making has a long history and the making technique was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2014. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

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'Bunraku' puppet masters to give special show in Osaka

OSAKA, Japan - "Bunraku" (puppet theater) chant master Toyotake Nozomidayu (L) poses with puppet masters and a "shamisen" (three-stringed guitar) player during a press conference held in Osaka on Dec. 24, 2014, to announce a special Bunraku performance to be staged in the western Japan city in February 2015.

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Mozart's clavichord returns to Vienna

VIENNA, Austria - A musician plays the clavichord on which Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed some of his famous works, including "The Magic Flute," on Oct. 28, 2014, at the Mozarthaus in Vienna, the composer's residence from 1784 to 1787. The stringed keyboard instrument, which is usually kept at Mozart's birthplace in Salzburg, is on display in Vienna until Nov. 10.

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Largest ensemble of shamisen performers

TOKYO, Japan - More than 1,000 performers of "Tsugaru shamisen," a type of music played with the shamisen three-stringed, Japanese musical instrument, gather at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo on Oct. 25, 2014, to set a world record for the largest shamisen ensemble. Under the eye of staff from Guinness World Records Japan, they set a record when 1,124 performers played together. According to Guinness World Records, the previous world record in the category was set in 1999 at Tokyo Dome when 815 shamisen players performed together.

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Largest ensemble of shamisen performers

TOKYO, Japan - More than 1,000 performers of "Tsugaru shamisen," a type of music played with the shamisen three-stringed, Japanese musical instrument, gather at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo on Oct. 25, 2014, to set a world record for the largest shamisen ensemble. Under the eye of staff from Guinness World Records Japan, they set a record when 1,124 performers played together. According to Guinness World Records, the previous world record in the category was set in 1999 at Tokyo Dome when 815 shamisen players performed together.

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Largest ensemble of shamisen performers

TOKYO, Japan - More than 1,000 performers of "Tsugaru shamisen," a type of music played with the shamisen three-stringed, Japanese musical instrument, gather at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo on Oct. 25, 2014, to set a world record for the largest shamisen ensemble. Under the eye of staff from Guinness World Records Japan, they set a record when 1,124 performers played together. According to Guinness World Records, the previous world record in the category was set in 1999 at Tokyo Dome when 815 shamisen players performed together.

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Crown prince visits Shosoin treasure house exhibition

NARA, Japan - Crown Prince Naruhito looks at a "Kuwanokigenka" stringed instrument brought from ancient China at an exhibition highlighting the Shosoin treasure house of Todaiji Temple at the Nara National Museum in Nara, western Japan, on Oct. 23, 2014. (Pool Photo)

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Non-Ainu high school girl becomes Ainu dancer

KUSHIORO, Japan - Photo taken Feb. 6, 2014 shows Ayaka Ono, an Ainu dance performer, holding the stringed Tonkori, one of the indigenous ethnic group's traditional musical instruments. Despite not being an Ainu, Ono decided to become a performer of the traditional Ainu dance in the spring of 2013.

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150th anniversary of Japan-Switzerland ties

GENEVA, Switzerland - Shunsuke Kimura (R) and Etsuro Ono play the Tsugaru shamisen stringed instrument in Neuchatel, Switzerland, during a ceremony to commemorate the 150th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Switzerland.

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China-Japan diplomatic ties 40th anniv. concert in Nanjing

NANJING, China - Zhang Bin (R front) plays the "erhu" stringed instrument during a concert in Nanjing on July 15, 2012. Chinese and Japanese authorities staged the concert to mark the 40th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties.

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Traditional dance event in Toyama

TOYAMA, Japan - People dance to the sound of instruments including the ''kokyu,'' a traditional Japanese fiddle that originated in China, and the ''shamisen,'' a three-stringed Japanese instrument played with a plectrum, on Sept. 1, 2011, during the traditional ''Owarakazenobon'' dance event held annually during the typhoon season in the city of Toyama to pray for good harvests. The event will continue through Sept. 3.

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Traditional dance event in Toyama

TOYAMA, Japan - Women dance to the sound of instruments including the ''kokyu,'' a traditional Japanese fiddle that originated in China, and the ''shamisen,'' a three-stringed Japanese instrument played with a plectrum, on Sept. 1, 2011, during the traditional ''Owarakazenobon'' dance event held annually during the typhoon season in the city of Toyama to pray for good harvests. The event will continue through Sept. 3.

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Japan-S. Korea festival in Seoul

SEOUL, South Korea - Students of Goshogawara Daiichi High School in Aomori Prefecture play Tsugaru shamisen, traditional three-stringed instruments from the prefecture, at the ''Nikkan Koryu Omatsuri'' (Japan-South Korean Exchange Festival) in Seoul on Oct. 2, 2010.

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(2)Japan Week celebrated at Aichi Expo

NAGAKUTE, Japan - Shamisen (three-stringed banjo) players give a performance with a Katsushika Hokusai ukiyo-e in the background as part of events to mark Japan Week at the 2005 World Exposition in Aichi Prefecture on June 7.

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Tokushima's Awa Odori folk dance festival begins

TOKUSHIMA, Japan - Colorfully costumed dancers step out to the sound of ''shamisen'' stringed instruments and ''taiko'' drums in the city of Tokushima on Aug. 12, the first day of the annual four-day Awa Odori folk dance festival. More than 950 dance groups involving 100,000 dancers will participate in the festival, which has more than 400 years of history.

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Traditional Japanese music gaining popularity

TOKYO, Japan - Musical duo Yoshida Brothers -- Ryoichi (L) and Kenichi -- play the Tsugaru shamisen, a three-stringed Japanese banjo, during a recent performance at the French Embassy in Tokyo. The brothers, who dress in traditional ceremonial attire when performing, are rising stars in the traditional Japanese music scene.

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Koizumi plays kayagum at Seoul arts center

SEOUL, South Korea - Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi (C) learns how to play the kayagum, a traditional Korean stringed instrument, at the National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts in Seoul on March 21.

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Koto music and cherry blossom viewing at Himeji Castle

Koto music is played at a cherry blossom viewing ceremony at the Himeji Castle in Hyogo Prefecture on April 4. Wearing kimonos, some 100 players staged a performance of the 13-stringed zither-like music instrument to complement the annual event.

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Maiko at Kabuki theater in Kyoto

Japanese "maiko" traditional professional entertainers (L) visit Minamiza Theatre in Kyoto to watch a Kabuki performance on Dec. 5, 2022. It is a year-end custom for them to watch the show to improve their traditional shamisen three-stringed instrument and dancing skills.

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Maiko at Kabuki theater in Kyoto

Japanese "maiko" traditional professional entertainers visit Minamiza Theatre in Kyoto to watch a Kabuki performance on Dec. 5, 2022. It is a year-end custom for them to watch the show to improve their traditional shamisen three-stringed instrument and dancing skills.

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Maiko at Kabuki theater in Kyoto

Japanese "maiko" traditional professional entertainers visit Minamiza Theatre in Kyoto to watch a Kabuki performance on Dec. 5, 2022. It is a year-end custom for them to watch the show to improve their traditional shamisen three-stringed instrument and dancing skills.

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Maiko at Kabuki theater in Kyoto

Japanese "maiko" traditional professional entertainers visit Minamiza Theatre in Kyoto, western Japan, to watch a Kabuki performance on Dec. 5, 2022. It is a year-end custom for them to watch the show to improve their traditional shamisen three-stringed instrument and dancing skills.

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Japan-S. Korea exchange festival in Seoul

Musicians play Tsugaru shamisen, a traditional three-stringed musical instrument deriving from Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, at the annual Japan-South Korea exchange festival in Seoul on Sept. 25, 2022.

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Syrian refugee pursues music career in Iraq

STORY: Syrian refugee pursues music career in Iraq DATELINE: Aug. 30, 2022 LENGTH: 00:02:12 LOCATION: Baghdad CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of the Syrian musician 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): SALAH BAYRAM, Syrian musician 3. various of the Syrian musician 4. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): SALAH BAYRAM, Syrian musician 5. various of the Syrian musician 6. SOUNDBITE 3 (Arabic): SALAH BAYRAM, Syrian musician STORYLINE: Salah Bayram, a Syrian citizen from the city of Aleppo, sought refuge in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan in 2013. He has devoted himself to his music career despite difficulties. Bayram plays a range of musical instruments, but he specializes in stringed instruments, especially the saz and baglama, as well as the oud instrument. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): SALAH BAYRAM, Syrian musician "When I sought refuge in Erbil in 2013 as a result of the war in Syria, I was able to continue my musical career, which was my job in Syria." Bayram had to practice his work as a music teacher and musician in seve

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THAILAND-BANGKOK-CHINA-DOCUMENTARY-CULTURE-EXPERIENCE

(220810) -- BANGKOK, Aug. 10, 2022 (Xinhua) -- People learn to play pipa, a four-stringed Chinese lute, at China Culture Center in Bangkok, Thailand, Aug. 9, 2022. Students of Kanlayanee school watched a documentary about Sanxingdui, and experienced traditional Chinese cultural activities at China Culture Center in Bangkok. (Xinhua/Wang Teng)

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Chinese young man dedicated to promoting Mongolian fiddle

STORY: Chinese young man dedicated to promoting Mongolian fiddle DATELINE: June 14, 2022 LENGTH: 0:01:24 LOCATION: LANZHOU, China CATEGORY: CULTURE SHOTLIST: 1. various of the Morin khuur 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): BAILEG, Music teacher, Northwest Minzu University 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): BAILEG, Music teacher, Northwest Minzu University 4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): BAILEG, Music teacher, Northwest Minzu University STORYLINE: Baileg is a music teacher in Northwest Minzu University in Lanzhou, China's Gansu. As a young man of the Mongolian ethnic group, he is also an intangible cultural heritage inheritor of Morin Khuur performance. Morin khuur, also known as the horsehead fiddle, is a traditional Mongolian bowed stringed instrument. Apart from teaching students, Baileg also set up a band to promote the folk instrument among young people. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): BAILEG, Music teacher, Northwest Minzu University "Playing Morin Khuur in the rock band can show passion. We can play concertos with it, and perfor