Novel Stories Telling and Ballad Singing Fair in Majie of Baofeng County

Novel Stories Telling and Ballad Singing Fair in Majie of Baofeng County
      On the 13^th of the first lunar month, numerous novel story tellers and ballad singers from all over the country take with them their musical instruments to gather at Majie. Small as the town is, it is a holy place in the hearts of those artists. Whether they are famous ballad singers or country artists, talking and singing in this town are what they like doing most. These artists tell stories or sing ballads in public, exchanging skills to make friends and hoping to become the champion of the fair. Wherever it is, in the fields or along the rivers, story tellers or ballad singers play the jianban, a traditional percussion instrument, or the huqin, a traditional stringed instrument, and begin their performance. On such a huge country stage, hundreds of artists perform in the open air. They sing or talk about the past and the present as if they were in a dream while the listeners are intoxicated with joy. These artists play the country music which has been handed down from generation to generation to release their inner happiness or sadness to the top of their bent.