The event "Music 'Joy' Guizhou - 2025 'International Drum Circle China Tour' Enters Colorful Guizhou", sponsored by the Guizhou Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, has successfully concluded. The event gathered global drum circle artists, cultural and tourism influencers, and international friends, taking drums as a medium to launch in-depth cultural dialogues integrating "culture + tourism + music" and "intangible cultural heritage + drum circle".
From the wooden drum dance in Fanpai Miao Village of Taijiang, to the ancient wharf in Xiasi Ancient Town of Kaili; from the Twelve Tunes of the Buyi Bronze Drum in Zhenfeng, the Eight-Tone Sitting Singing (Ci Drum) in Bayin Hall of Xingyi, to the karst wonders in Wanfenglin; from the "sense of relaxation" in Qingyan Ancient Town to the charm of human-shaped stone pillars in Yelang Valley...Guizhou's drum music, landscapes, intangible cultural heritage, and cuisine have become bonds connecting the world. During the journey, the integration and resonance between Guizhou's intangible cultural heritage drum music and international drum circle art have become the most touching core experience.
In Anti-Pai Village, Wan Zhengwen, a national intangible cultural heritage inheritor, performed the Miao epic, and the international drum circle guide led the villagers to improvise an ensemble, and the drum music was excited.The activity contributed to important results: the anti-pai village was listed at the Qiandongnan Base of the DCFC Drum Circle Instructors Federation and the International DrumCircle Studio was established, injecting new impetus into the living inheritance of intangible cultural heritage and the integration of culture and tourism.
In the Bronze Drum Hall of XiangmenMountain, the low sound of the thousand - year-old copper drum and the "Twelve Tunes of the Copper Drum" containing the wisdom of the five elements of traditional Chinesemedicine are perfectly in line with the concept of "healing the heart with music" in the drum circle, which immerses the guests.The event innovatively launched the "Cultural Tourism Music Healing" model to accurately respond to the needs of modern travelers seeking spiritual relaxation.
The participants used the drum as a common language, releasing pressure in the rhythm of collaboration and regaining tranquility in the rhythm of intangible cultural heritage.
This is not only a cultural tourism practice, but also an international platform for cultural sharing and mutual learning, skillfully integrating traditional and modern, local and international elements.
In the drumming of the mountains and rivers of Guizhou, the"community of shared future for mankind" has turned into a real resonance beating in the drumbeat, which has effectively enhanced the international influence of Chinese culture.
John Fitzgerald
I've been involved with drum circles for over 25 years and worked for a company called Remo. My job was to support and advocate for the use of rhythm: we supported trainers, individual facilitators, and the whole purpose of that was to create opportunities for individuals to have direct experience of rhythm making. In every country, people are using rhythm to promote their well-being, and China in particular has seen huge growth in the last 10 years.
Today was amazing. We had an opportunity to meet a master drummer, Mr. Wan, who was preserving the precious drumming culture of the Miao people. We saw the drum and dance, and watched a performance. What struck me when we gathered with the village people is that this culture lives within them it is part of who they are. Today, when we brought out these unfamiliar but playful and easy-to-play instruments, they engaged in joyful interaction with one another and the facilitators. Over the two-hour period, we all played wonderful rhythmic activities together. I saw joy, engagement, little children and older adults playing side by side, dancing and singing. It was a wonderful event.
As a team visiting these villages, I was first excited because I am deeply interested in culture especially the "river of culture" that flows through a people is history. In China, that river is extraordinarily long, carrying with it everything from rhythm and music to calligraphy and art. I got a chance to step into that river and join its flow. In the village with the wooden drum, we witnessed masterful, beautiful performances. It was a beautiful day: people came in their traditional costumes, we distributed playful instruments, and for an hour or an hour and a half, we made music, played, danced, and sang together.
Then we moved to another village, Bouyei, with a totally different culture and a very different welcome. As we walked into the courtyard, people were playing music to greet us, receiving us with immense joy. Each person connected with one or more others in a playful way they even took the initiative to become facilitators, creating playful interactions with deep eye contact. Rhythm, I think, has the power to connect people on an emotional level.
I have to say I am honored to have been invited on this tour. It is been a unique experience, allowing me to learn a little about China, its culture, and its people. I am very grateful.
Kumi Masanaga
Zhou Yao
From the perspective of music therapy, first of all, (International Drum Circle) is not really a music therapy. However, from the perspective of promoting people's mental health, there is no doubt that it is very successful today. Because we see these villagers, who are actually very old, and through music, signs, eye contact, and our mutual feelings, they can feel what we want to do and cooperate. This cooperation exists not only between them and the instructor, but also in the interaction and cooperation among the villagers themselves. So this process is still very exciting.
Because the village secretary told me that he felt it was rare to see these people in the village show such smiles on their faces and be so engaged. Just now, several villagers who were much older than me held my hand and said thank you to me. I felt very warm at that time. Even the children in the village participated very actively, and they were like this throughout the entire participation. I believe it can promote their mental health, because at least we planted a "you're great" seed. I believe that for their hearts, it may be like a wealth or a seed that can slowly sprout into love.
Then our drum circle is very free and inclusive, and it's a very young and international form. So when traditional culture collides and combines with internationalization, youth, and liberalization, we can see the spark of collision. Tradition seems to have been revitalized here, which gives me a lot of inspiration. This inspiration comes from our Chinese culture, which is really broad and profound. We have national confidence and cultural confidence, which is really important.
This is a very amazing trip to Guizhou. On this journey, I have a great feeling. Guizhou has beautiful mountains, rivers, and people. The music is beautiful, the food is delicious, and the people are very simple. When we went to the village and did drum circle activities with everyone, the villagers often told us, "Thank you for coming to our house to play." They really took us into their homes, and many of them even the toothless old men and women, and grandmas would interact with us when they heard our music, dance with us, and join us. That smile is like a flower.
The power of traditional culture is so charming. We are connected through traditional culture, express our feelings through the drum circle, and united by the rhythm. It wasn't just a drum circle, but also a blend of love and a collision of hearts. I really like this journey. It will definitely become a memorable experience.
Zhu Zhenwu
I am Zhu Zhenwu. Everyone calls me Dachui. I am actually a drum choreographer. Why do I like drum circles? Because I think drum circles can incorporate a lot of personalities and turn them into commonalities for all of us. I believe this is the most attractive part of it. Whether it is the elderly, teenagers, children, or others, I think we can use music to connect everyone together. That's the charm of drum circles. Maybe we don't need language—only our music, our rhythm, our singing, and dance can connect us all. I think this is a very cool way to achieve unity.
I am honored to come to Fanpai Village, Guizhou, and play drum circles with some villagers here, joining them in the activity. I also saw many villagers, children, and elderly people who were very happy during the process. I think the happiness at that moment is the power of music, and rhythm gave us that power. I was deeply touched this time.
I love been learning about drum circles for about seven or eight years. This time, coming to the Miao people actually opened up new ideas for me. Why? Because I saw some anti-beat drumming here. It made me think: Guizhou, and China as a whole, have many traditional musical instruments. Could these instruments, like today is rhythm, connect us all together? Could we truly build a drum circle that belongs to Chinese people?
The culture and music of Guizhou left a deep impression on me and moved me. When I watched the Fanpai wooden drum dance some people beating drums below and others dancing on top I felt like I was transported back to a time without electricity, imagining them gathered around a campfire, singing and dancing together. It was a different kind of romance. When I saw them playing the Twelve Tones of the Copper Drum, with its twelve tones, I looked at those bronze drums from fifteen hundred years ago. As they played, the sound was so mellow, like a sound that had traveled through fifteen hundred years. I think it is a dialogue between the past and the present.
Judah
I am Zhu Da from Hong Kong, China. I am very happy to come to Fanpai Village in Guizhou and participate with you in the integration of the Fanpai wooden drum and drum circle. I am a drum teacher in Hong Kong and play wooden box drums. I am glad that this time we got to play drum circle and collaborate with the Fanpai wooden drum. The difference with drum circle is that we get to feel together, and different friends communicate with each other, which brings me a very exciting feeling. We can exchange different cultures, dance, sing, and play drums together. Although we come from different places, our hearts are connected through music because drumming links us.
I am glad to be in such a beautiful village this time, with good weather, and everything at the event was well arranged. We chatted, laughed and joked, and ate together, which really gives me a very warm feeling. I hope I can come to Guizhou again next time and play with you all. Thank you all I am very happy to have participated in this Guizhou trip.
This time, we came to Guizhou and visited several different ethnic minority areas, where we had drumming exchanges. We experienced Fanpai Village is wooden drum dance, played drums and danced together, and everyone had a great time. We had cultural exchanges, sharing our traditional Chinese and ethnic minority musical instruments with the drums of modern popular drum circles, creating a musical exchange and cultural integration. I really think it is very meaningful.
In addition, the next day we went to play the bronze drum a drum hung up and beaten with sticks, which has several different tones. This time in Guizhou, I saw several different ethnic minorities with completely different cultures, even though they are all in Guizhou. In the past, when transportation in China wasn't as convenient as it is now, they developed their own unique cultures. But now, with technology advancing and transportation becoming very convenient, we can communicate with people from all over the world. We have teachers from the United States, Japanese teachers, me from Hong Kong, and teachers from different cities in the mainland, all able to communicate together. Plus, getting to participate with Guizhou is ethnic minorities and play together makes me really happy. I truly look forward to coming to Guizhou again next time to play with everyone.
Dmitrii Doronin
This is the second time I have come to Guizhou. In fact, the first time I came here, I fell in love with Guizhou cuisine. Because I don't like very spicy food I like sour flavors. Guizhou dishes, though spicy, are really delicious. I've tried the sour soup fish, and oh my god, it's so delicious that I'm drooling just thinking about it.
I had a great time in Guizhou these days. I saw beautiful scenery, and the local culture is very rich. I participated in various music activities, ate a lot of delicious food, and took many videos to spread Guizhou's welcoming culture to the world.
In addition, during this trip to Guizhou, I noticed the drum circles here it was my first time participating in one. Many people from the US, Japan, Iran, and Russia came together in a village to play drums in Guizhou, and it was so much fun. We held a drum circle event with the villagers, playing drums together for about two hours and singing a few songs. It was a really deep cultural exchange, a feeling hard to put into words.
People from all over the world gathered to create something special together making music and art simply because everyone was enjoying the day. We spent a wonderful day in Guizhou. I really hope to come to Guizhou again in the future. As a video blogger, there are so many places in Guizhou worth filming and showing to overseas audiences.
Narges
Hello, I am Naghi from Iran, and I am a content creator. I participated in this five-day international drum circle. This drum circle was very exciting for me because I had never attended such a gathering before. I didn't know people would gather together, bring their own instruments, and play. It was my first time participating, so it was really thrilling.
In this drum circle activity, we met many different people from various countries. Everyone has their own unique culture and language, as well as a passion for music and art. Meeting such enthusiastic, artistic, and free-spirited people was amazing. During this five-day trip, I made many friends musicians, photographers, videographers, and other excellent individuals with whom I could communicate and connect. I'm glad to have met them.
I think the international drum circle is not just about sitting down and playing music together. Beyond the music, it’s mainly about cultural exchange. You can share your own culture, learn about others, and meet new friends, which adds a new life experience. For me, it was really special.
We also had the opportunity to visit different villages. It was fascinating to see Chinese traditional instruments up close ones I had never seen before. Some are made of wood, with beautiful textures and unique sounds. I really enjoyed watching local performances and listening to ancient silver drums and other instruments. As an Iranian, I also had the chance to introduce our own instruments. I noticed some similarities, for example, between our Kamanch and some of their instruments. So I told them about it, and we had some very interesting conversations. I also told them about Kamkar, one of our great Iranian musicians. It was a very valuable cultural exchange.
To be honest, I'm sorry that this program is coming to an end today. But because of the friendship we have built, I believe we will create more opportunities like this. We will meet again, there will be more drum circles, and we can do things together and play together. I hope to have more such experiences in the future. Thank you very much.
Dalia
Hello everyone, my name is Dalia. The scenery here is beautiful, with mountains and rivers that are truly stunning. We learned about the local culture, tasted local food, met the locals, and visited the houses where they live. Those ancient buildings made entirely of wood are amazing and incredibly beautiful.
In addition, I also participated in a special event today the Guyu Festival. I gathered with other international students and teachers to play drum music. What's more exciting is that we experienced a truly magical moment during the international drum music tour: musicians and music from all over the world resonated in the magnificent mountains and rivers, creating a unique rhythm together.
In the mountainous, green outdoors, different styles of drums rose and fell, finally merging into a harmonious symphony. The performance of energy, emotion, and nature perfectly combined music and culture, making this moment truly unforgettable. It was not just a performance, but a magical moment where music removed all boundaries.
Guizhou is not only a place on the map, but also a journey into the heart of China. Here, history, culture, and nature are intertwined in astonishing harmony. If you want to see the most authentic beauty of this country and feel its rhythm and hospitality, you must come to Guizhou. I will never forget this performance. Thank you all. Welcome to Guizhou.
Wang Shengli
Hello everyone, this is Wang Shengli. Persistence is victory. A special thanks to Music Guizhou for letting me participate in this event. I feel very happy to have this opportunity. I've eaten a lot of delicious food here the food in Guizhou is really tasty. To be honest, it's a bit spicy, but not overly so. It's just delicious.
What an amazing trip to Guizhou! Honestly, it was one of the best experiences I've had in a while. One of the coolest parts was joining a local drum circle. The beat of the drums and the energy of the people were so powerful, really bringing everyone together even though we came from different places and backgrounds.
While I was there, I explored a bunch of new places: mountains, traditional villages, and vibrant city streets. Every corner had its own charm, and the food was absolutely amazing. I tried all kinds of local dishes some spicy, some sweet and every bite was full of flavor. It was a real treat for a foodie like me.
I also had the chance to experience things I would never have tried before, like traditional Miao crafts and local music performances. It felt like stepping into a whole new world. Even better, I met some really awesome people locals and fellow travelers who made the trip even more special. We shared stories, laughed a lot, and even exchanged contact info to keep in touch.
Overall, I just loved the vibe in Guizhou. The environment was so peaceful yet full of life. Nature, culture, and community all came together perfectly. I came back feeling refreshed, inspired, and already planning my next trip back.
I saw the Miao lion dance, which I think is really beautiful. Watching them dance and getting to take part in various activities made me feel really happy. I hope to have the chance to participate again next time.
Zheng Youzhen
Hello everyone,I am an artist based in Korea and China, Zheng Youzhen. I am honored to come to Guizhou for the first time. The weather is good, the people are very warm, and the food is also great. I spent a very satisfying day. I am about to return.
I am used to thinking and creating alone. But this time in Guizhou, I participated in traditional drum playing and international drum circle activities, which gave me a very special experience. Here, no one led everyone like a teacher or conductor, but everyone naturally integrated into it. Over time, their own rhythms and sounds gradually coalesced into a flowing melody.
This process of each persons voice merging into a new movement makes me deeply realize the joy that is hard to feel when creating alone, and the preciousness of creating with others.
Currently, I am preparing for an exhibition held in China. What I saw and heard in Guizhou this time will surely inspire my creation. I am very grateful to the organizers for giving me such a meaningful opportunity.
Badao
Hello everyone, I am Badao. I am very happy to participate in the Music Guizhou event. I have traveled to different villages in Guizhou, experiencing local music and bringing world music, our music, and local ethnic music together.
One of the issues we've been discussing most in recent years is how to let the world see China, let people from all over the world come to China, and truly understand us—rather than through the media's very one-sided perspectives. I think this time, using music to directly connect people of different races is the best way.
I still remember that on the second day, we went to experience the bronze drums in the Buyi village. Before we walked into the village, we could hear drums and songs from outside, and we already felt the local peoples welcome to us. When we walked in, American artists, Japanese artists, artists from Hong Kong, China, and artists from all over the world took out their instruments. The moment when the world's drums and the local bronze drums integrated, there is only one word to describe it: love.
Now, I'm not a musician. As an observer, as someone who travels around the world to see the world, I think the beauty of this moment is hard to describe in words. It is also the most anticipated and wonderful experience during the journey.
Speaking of the location of this drum circle event Guizhou it has always been a treasure in my heart. As a filmmaker and a Lonely Planet travel author, I've always paid special attention to shooting locations. Guizhou has abundant beautiful natural resources and rich cultural resources, but it seems to be forgotten by people. However, this oblivion has made it a treasure for me: it is still simple and authentic.
Wu Wenwen
I am glad to attend this event, which let me see many landscapes and delicacies of Guizhou. Guizhou is indeed a place that makes people linger. I have been to Guizhou before, but never had such a profound experience as during this event. I felt the enthusiasm of the local people, and saw in their eyes eagerness for our arrival. Although there were many foreign artists in our group, and there was a language barrier, we could communicate with the local villagers without obstacles. Everyone was very happy.
So I think the music, ethnic groups, and culture of Guizhou are very diverse. I am honored to see such a diverse Guizhou and to truly interpret its diversity not just in terms of colors, but also cultural, ethnic, emotional, and musical diversity.
The plan of “Music plus Guizhou Tour” is excellent, as it fills the gap in Guizhou's current tourism content. Because the current vacation trend is increasingly inclined to an era of content supremacy. When we travel, the market is very segmented. In terms of overall tourism development, we can combine our bronze drums (with their twelve tones) and the Bayeux Scroll to form a musical tour route.
In this music especially after integrating our drum circles we will discover the simplicity of the countryside, traditional music, and traditional culture. It is the charm of these intangible cultural heritages that helps us understand that Guizhou is not just about beautiful landscapes, but also about healing songs that touch our hearts and music that heals our souls.
This entire Guizhou music tour route can well combine the characteristics of our various villages and ethnic groups. It also aligns with the new era's focus on rural revitalization and the mining of quality content.