Nanyin finds new voices

A new generation breathes life into centuries-old Nanyin melodies, sharing them with global audiences in a fresh, modern way.

When Zheng Mingming was about 5, she loved sitting next to her grandmother, listening to her sing ancient songs in the Minnan dialect. Her grandmother, a "resident musician" at a Nanyin hall in Quanzhou, Fujian province, had hundreds of songs memorized.

Whether at family gatherings, festivals, and quiet afternoons at home, Nanyin music was the soundtrack to Zheng's everyday life.