The best way to experience the wonders of the prairie and life on horseback in Inner Mongolia, or to get to know the descendants of Genghis Khan (1162-1227), is to take a trip to the grasslands of Alxa, Xilin Gol or Hulun Buir in North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

But now, thanks to an evening concert featuring rich Mongolian music and talented ethnic performing artists to be staged at the Forbidden City Concert Hall, Beijing residents will not need to travel far from home.

Today and tomorrow, singers from Inner Mongolia Lasurong, Nabuqinhua and Siqinbielige will sing folk songs in a style called "Urtinduu," or "changdiao" (long tune), and the Wild Horse Matouqin Band will play the folk music on the "matouqin," a unique Mongolian instrument.

As with many other ethnic groups, folk music holds a special place in the lives of ethnic Mongolians. For them, singing is not only a form of entertainment but also a key part of their culture and history.

Folk singing spreads into every corner of the grasslands - at the Nadam Fair (the most important Mongolian festival), at family parties and in shepherds' herding. "Urtinduu," is a representative solo singing style of Mongolians. Featuring a wide vocal range, excessively long breathing and free rhythms, this music is very popular on the grassland of Alxa, Shilin Gol and Hulun Buir.

The themes of the songs range from history and folklore to love stories and the daily lives of the people.

If you listen carefully to the poignant songs, you can hear the cries of stallions, see herds of sheep roaming on the endless green grassland under a blue sky and white clouds, feel the wind sweep over the prairie and experience the joy of the ethnic Mongolians.

"The long tune is the pride of Mongolian people, the descendants of Genghis Khan," said Lasurong, one of most popular Mongolian folk singers.

He has carried on the artistry of the older generation and ultimately formed a distinct style of his own. In the concerts, he will sing some of his signature works, including "The Sun Rises Over the Prairie" and "Genghis Khan, My Lord".

"The listeners will enjoy the songs, even though, they are sung in the Mongolian language," said Chen Hongjin, who is with the Forbidden City Concert Hall, which is organizing the concerts. "The enchantment of voice and harmony can break the barrier of language."

The matouqin, which is called "morin huur" in the Mongolian language, is a bowed two-string fiddle decorated with a top shaped like a horse's head.

Originally, the top of the fiddle was decorated with the head of a dragon, monkey, or even human skeleton, which were believed capable of fending off evil spirits. The special fiddle has an expressive and sonorous timbre and produces a deep and mellow sound.

In the concert, Qi Bulag, a renowned musician who plays matouqin and is also the founder of the band, will lead the band in some pieces he has composed.

When dozens of young men in the band play their instruments together, the result is a powerful and majestic sound that resembles thousands of galloping horses.

( China Daily March 22, 2002)