I am willing to repay it with a song. 19-year-old Yi girl Nili Jinzhi was admitted to Shanghai Conservatory of Music: Life Kisses Me with Pain | Mother | Shanghai Conservatory of Music
In Hualin Village, Dabao Town, Ebian Yi Autonomous County, Leshan, Sichuan, a 19-year-old Yi girl named Nili Jinzhi recently received an admission letter from Shanghai Conservatory of Music. The dark golden branches in her eyes, her pure singing voice, and the tumultuous fate have touched the hearts of many people.
At the age of 6, Jinzhi's father, Neriaro, passed away after falling down a mountain ditch under the influence of alcohol. At the age of 17, his mother, Jueluo Mao Axiu, who had been ill and depressed for a long time, drank glyphosate and died. Big brother Niridab and second brother Niriduche are both working in other places. Not long ago, the eldest brother fell from a height of over ten meters on the construction site, broke his rib, and was resting at home. The second brother also returned. Upon learning the news that Jinzhi had been admitted to Shangyin, the three siblings dressed in neat Yi costumes sat on the bed where their mother had slept and took a group photo.
Jinzhi and two older brothers, taking a photo in their mother's former bedroom
On the phone, Jinzhi recalled to the reporter the Yi ethnic folk song "Gu Mo Azhi" she sang during her interview at Shanghai Conservatory of Music. The lyrics were: "Big geese, big geese, have you ever flown over my hometown? Have you ever seen my kind father grazing in the mountains and forests of my hometown? Have you ever seen my weaving mother sitting on a slope under the sunset? Have you ever seen my younger brother riding a horse? Have you ever seen my sister grazing cows and sheep... Jinzhi said that in the exam room, it was her best singing of" Gu Mo Azhi ". This song is sung for her father, mother, brother, and hometown, as well as for all those who have helped her.
Shanghai Conservatory of Music, which admitted Jinzhi, has trained nearly a thousand ethnic minority music talents so far, including Tibetan singer Caidan Zhuoma, Miao singer Awang, Zhuang singer Shi Shoujian, Hani singer Apo, Mongolian composer Morjihu, Tibetan composer Gesandaji, etc. Most of them have returned to their hometowns and become the backbone of local universities and art groups.
In the future, Jin Zhi made a decision to return to Shanghai and give back what she learned at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music to her hometown, inheriting Yi culture. She said, "I have received too much help in my growth process. It's hard to imagine where my future would go without their help. I want to relay this love to help more people in need."
Jinzhi is holding the admission letter from Shanghai Conservatory of Music
The song that my mother cried and sang, she smiled and sang
Jinzhi's good voice is inherited from her mother Jueluo Mao Axiu. Before her death, her mother loved singing and always sang while doing farm work. Jinzhi also sang along and learned many Yi folk songs. Singing is almost the only outlet for a mother's heavy labor, and Jinzhi often sees her crying while she sings. When her mother cries, Jinzhi is also very sad, but she never cries and always tries to make her mother laugh.
When she was a child, on weekends and holidays, Jinzhi would go up the mountain with her mother to farm with a small hoe. From sunrise to sunset, she would only go home to light a fire and cook when it was dark. "At night, the smoke was thick at home and the lights were not bright enough, so I couldn't do my homework. So I lied to my mother, saying that I had stomach pain. During the day, I relied on the sunlight to finish my homework in the dam and then went to help my mother. Once, my mother and I went up the mountain to find bamboo shoots, got lost, and walked all night to find a relative's house. Sometimes, my mother and brothers were working outside, and I fed pigs and chickens at home. At night, I was afraid of being alone, so I slept with the cat."
Jinzhi starts a fire at home
My father drank excessively during his lifetime and had a hot temper after drinking, often resorting to violence against my mother. At that time, brothers often followed Yi ethnic customs and wiped the ashes from the brazier onto their parents to protest, and Jinzhi also had her way of protesting. "When my dad gets drunk and throws his clothes on the ground, I will secretly take the money from my pocket and give it to my mom because my dad secretly sells a lot of things in the house."
After his father's death, his body was carried back from the hospital at the foot of the mountain, covered with white cloth. The mother didn't cry, but kicked angrily and began to live alone with her three children.
Despite day after day of labor and the ravages of illness, my mother still loves to sing, and her favorite song is "Gan Mo A Niu". "Gan Mo A Niu, her hair is black and long, swaying like clouds in the wind; her headscarf is as fresh and beautiful as the suma flowers in the mountains; her eyes are watery and beautiful as the morning dew blooming on her leaves; her eyebrows are curved like the moon, and two rainbows fly over the river..."
Gan Mo A Niu is the "beauty god" of the Yi ethnic group. Her good name spread throughout the Yi village, and local official Zhida wanted to marry her as a concubine. She fled but was unsuccessful. Upon learning that her beloved's rescue had failed, she hanged herself and died. In Yi ethnic folk songs, there are many works that sing about women, who are beautiful and kind, but always face many hardships.
Upon hearing the news of her mother's death, 17-year-old Jinzhi also experienced a breakdown and depression: "I have lost my home ever since, I don't know who to follow, I don't know where to go." However, after finishing the task, Jinzhi returned to school and walked into the classroom with a smile on her face. "The last sentence my mother left me was to study hard. I may be an unfortunate girl, but I don't want to bring my sadness to those around me. I want to live with a smile and sing. I want to study hard, step out of the mountains, and pursue a more valuable life."
Leaving the mountains is to better return
In March of this year, Jinzhi took his first flight from Dashan to attend a professional exam at Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Faced with more than a dozen examiners, she sang "Gu Moazhi". "I am not nervous at all in the exam room. The more people there are, the better. I have been performing in the town since elementary school, and many villagers come to sit around and listen to me sing. From childhood to adulthood, singing has been my way of expressing emotions."
She also sang a song called "Beautiful Home" in the exam room, but was stopped by the examiner after only a short section. She thought she was not performing well and felt uneasy. During her break, she quietly asked the piano accompanist, who comforted her, "The examiners only need to listen to you sing a few lines, and they will know your level."
On her first visit to Shanghai, Jinzhi wore Yi ethnic costumes and went to the Bund, attracting many onlookers along the way. Someone asked where she came from, and someone wanted to take a photo with her. This unfamiliar city, where many strangers met for the first time, welcomed her in this way, which was her first impression of the city.
Jinzhi, dressed in Yi ethnic attire, is on the Bund
Returning to Leshan, less than 80 days before the college entrance examination, Jinzhi began to sprint with all her might. She scored 403 points, exceeding the score line by 66 points, and was ultimately admitted to the Vocal Performance major of the Vocal Opera Department of Shanghai Conservatory of Music.
Preparing for the college entrance examination
During the summer vacation before coming to Shanghai, Jinzhi learned both the Yi language and the Yi instrument Yueqin. As more and more young people leave their hometowns to work elsewhere, there are fewer and fewer young people who truly understand the traditional culture of the Yi ethnic group. Jinzhi hopes to inherit the intangible cultural heritage of the Yi ethnic group and transmit their music to further places.
These days, Jinzhi often imagines that if Teacher Liu Tianfeng, who came from Zhejiang to teach in Ebian, did not ignite her thirst for knowledge, if Leshan TV reporter Duan Dingran, who met by chance, did not encourage her to get into Leshan, if Teacher Lai Yuanhua from Leshan Normal University did not discover her singing talent, if Leshan No.2 Middle School and art training institutions did not waive her full tuition fees, if soprano singer Chen Yan did not treat her like her daughter teaches carefully, if sponsors Yuan Haili and Zhang Yue in Shanghai did not give her continuous help
Soprano singer Chen Yan guides Jin Zhi to play the piano
"If it weren't for the love relay of these people, I would probably not have been able to get into a good high school or university. Maybe I have dropped out of school to get married now, or maybe I have gone out to work. I have a friend who played with me since childhood, got married after two years of vocational high school, and now my child is one year old. I am very lucky to have the right to choose. I hope to return to my hometown in the future, break many outdated concepts, help more Yi girls, and gain the right to choose their own lives." Jin Zhi said.
Recently, Jinzhi's favorite song is "Nimuaqi", and the lyrics are as follows: "That small village by the mountain, how many happy moments my mother has left behind. The murmuring stream under the house, how many laughter and joy has taken away. I will wear colorful clothes and showcase beauty around the world. I will wear beautiful earrings, comparable to the sun, moon, and stars."
