In harmony with nature

The band has also appeared in commercial shows.

A music festival in April at the scenic spot drew visitors who relished the local delicacies and the chance to camp in the wilderness.

"On that day, members from a post-rock band and a blues band that were also invited to perform for the festival told us that they were impressed by our style," Wan recalls, adding that they received invitations from the two bands to do gigs in Zhejiang province's Hangzhou city.

For Marzhan Baysamqyn, a 31-year-old Kazak music lover who once worked for a song and dance troupe in Xinyuan county as a solo performer, joining the band helped him advance in his technique.

He used to be a member of another band named Abuzi that played traditional Kazak tunes and won a national folk music competition in 2015.

"However, it later disbanded as most of the members were consumed by their day jobs," he says.

Marzhan is adept in humai, or throat singing, and has been awarded as a successor of intangible cultural heritage in Ili Kazak autonomous prefecture for his expertise in playing the sybyzgy.

The Kazak side-blown flute is made from a hollow reed tube, on which three or four holes are cut. The instrument requires the performer to master a guttural sound while playing.

Marzhan learned how to master the instrument from his father at a young age. As he grew up, he endeavored to improve his playing technique and expand the repertoire on the instrument.

"I have been teaching more than a dozen apprentices how to play the instrument," he says, adding that he wants to pass down the tradition to future generations.