Chinese Musicians Coming to Prairie du Chien
The five members of Manhu play such instruments as Sani bamboo flute, leaf, moon lute, xianzi, moon lute percussion and others. (Contributed photo)
Chinese musical group to have
residency and perform in Prairie du Chien
By Ted Pennekamp
A group of musicians from China will be the first of four cultural programs sponsored by Arts Midwest World Fest that will perform in Prairie du Chien over the next two school years.
Prairie du Chien School Board President Christine Panka has said that the school district needs to have lively and vibrant arts programs, especially with the new 750-seat Prairie du Chien Area Arts Center being constructed at the high school.
The five-person group, Manhu, will kick-off the Arts Midwest programs in Prairie du Chien this September.
“Manhu is from China and will be providing an educational residency to Prairie du Chien Schools from Sept. 10 through Sept. 16,” said Panka, who noted that the Wauzeka-Steuben School District will participate for one day during Manhu’s residency.
“Other area districts will also be offered the opportunity to participate during the next three programs,” said Panka.
Panka said that major funding to make the four Arts Midwest World Fest programs possible is due to donations provided locally by the 3M Company, in addition to other national sponsors.
“We have also had assistance with local expenses by People’s State Bank, Prairie Industries, the city of Prairie du Chien, Nelson’s True Value, Rotary Club, Kiwanis Club, Crossing Rivers Health and the Super 8 Hotel,” said Panka.
The week-long residency will culminate in a public concert on Saturday, Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. in the Little Theater of Prairie du Chien High School. Tickets are $5 per person or $20 per family (four or more) and will be available in advance at the Prairie du Chien High School office and at People’s State Bank in downtown Prairie du Chien, as well as at the door the night of the performance.
Hailing from the Stone Forest of Yunnan Province in southwestern China, Manhu brings to life the traditions of the Yi people, an ethnic minority group with a rich musical history.
Playing the hulusheng, a mouth organ made from dried gourds, and even an ordinary leaf used as a reed, Manhu shares instruments and songs that are well-known in their homeland but rarely seen on an international stage.
The ensemble has performed throughout China, but this is their first international tour.
Manhu presents a fascinating reinvention of Yi music, most specifically from the Sani region of the Stone Forest in China’s Yunnan Province, an area geographically cut off from other Yi populations, and which has developed its own unique musical and cultural identity. Although often viewed as newcomers, Manhu has been playing together since 2003.
All the members can be officially considered Yi people. Yi are a very broad ethnic group encompassing at least six different languages, so to be more specific, Manhu belongs to the Sani people, one of the most distinctive subgroups of the Yi, possessing unique language, writing, and musical culture. Though they are Sani, Manhu have studied the music of some of the other Yi groups, so they have the knowledge and skills to perform music and dance traditions that represent the broad spectrum of Yi culture.
Manhu are multi-instrumentalists, proficient in a range of Yi instruments. However, Manhu has chosen to present an upbeat imagining of how these often inaccessible traditions can be adapted to a band situation. Featuring many locally iconic but internationally never-before-seen instruments, their sound is bewitching, leaving one puzzled that this kind of music should never have been exposed before. Truly authentic but highly creative, Manhu has performed at prestigious venues such as the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing and the Shanghai Music Hall.
