He Jinhua is a national first-level artist with the Yulong County Song and Dance Troupe of Lijiang in China. The daughter of farmers, He was invited to the county seat to perform with the ensemble as a teenager in 1986, and never left.
Since then, He has achieved the rare distinction of the title of Chinese National First-grade Performer; received a silver medal in the 2008 Chinese Central Television Young Singers Competition, a gold medal at the 2010 China Arts Festival, and other recognition. She has also performed at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in the United States.
In 2022, she released the album of Songs of the Naxi of Southwest China on Smithsonian Folkways. Regarding “Songs of the Naxi”, He Jinhua says: “I’m honored to have been able to work with such a renowned record company. I feel that it is a matter of urgency to preserve the longstanding culture I have studied all these years, as the elders who can still sing these songs are already leaving us.”
(headline image: He Jinhua – Photo by Helen Rees)
Discography:
Songs of the Naxi of Southwest China (Smithsonian Folkways, 2022)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.