This October, a group of girls from the Spring Bud Dream Chorus project came under international spotlight and embraced a new world through music. The Spring Bud girls are from Kashgar of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Guilin of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Pingluo of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Alxa Left Banner of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Kangding and Liangshan of Sichuan Province.
As beneficiaries of the project, they were invited to give their performance at the opening ceremony of the Exhibition on China's Progress in Digital and Intelligent Empowerment for Women and Girls, a side event of the Global Leaders' Meeting on Women, on October 14.
It was the first time for many of them to visit Beijing. The music-themed journey went beyond a performance and became a new starting point for them to embrace infinite possibilities of life.
During their rehearsals, the girls realized that singing is a fine art rather than merely singing out loud. For instance, Amina Aini learned how to control her voice in a chorus. With the encouragement of teachers, the once-shy Kaidereya Yili became more confident and improved her vocal performance. Lü Shiyuan said that teachers were strict about their pronunciation training. Luosha Zhima mastered the ways to breathe properly for singing after repeated practices.
In addition to improving their singing skills, the Spring Bud girls forged deep friendship. For instance, Kaidereya and Tang Le, of the Zhuang ethnic group, became good friends. Lü admired her Xinjiang friends who can ride horses.
The girls, from different ethnic groups and places, supported and encouraged each other during their stay in Beijing.
When asked why they joined the chorus teams, the girls' replies went far beyond "liking." Kaidereya has grown into an optimistic and confident girl after joining the chorus. Amina Aini found watching others sing relaxing and gradually fell in love with singing herself. Ma Ruoxin sees singing as an emotional outlet, something that restores her mood whenever she feels bored or upset. For them, music is not merely a hobby, but a companion in growth that has opened a beautiful window in their lives.
The girls were both nervous and excited on the eve of their performance. Their common goal was to train hard and present a fabulous show.
On October 14, they took the stage and gave their show of the song Flowers Bloom in China. Their voices were imbued with love and pride. As the music began, the girls on the stage seemed to transform into blooming flowers, conveying the purest love and dreams to the audience.
The Spring Bud Project is a public welfare initiative launched by the China Children and Teenagers' Fund (CCTF) under the guidance of the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) to improve the education of disadvantaged girls nationwide. As of this September, the CCTF and Tencent Foundation had set up 56 Spring Bud chorus teams, provided over 2,000 girls with choral training and music education, and organized relevant training for hundreds of music teachers.
The Spring Bud girls are using their voices to express the power of growth. Like flowers in full bloom under the sun, they shine with confidence and grace. With music and dreams intertwined, they will continue to accompany more girls on the journey toward a brighter future.
Photos from CCTF
(Source: CCTF/Women of China)
Editor: Wang Shasha
