An idyllic stage

Guo Wen grew up listening to stories about Ulan Muqir because her mother toured with the art troupe from Horqin Right Wing Middle Banner as a dancer.

Ulan Muqir means "red bud" in Mongolian, and is a collection of art troupes. They travel from one place to another performing for herders who live in some of China's most remote areas.

Usually the performances feature singers, dancers and instrumentalists, as well as actors and actresses playing short skits, which are about local heroes either adapted from folklore or based on real stories.

"My mother toured with the art troupe since she was a teenager. She often toured for weeks and after she returned home, my younger sister and I were eager to listen to the stories of those tours," recalls Guo, 25, who was born and raised on the Horqin grasslands, Hinggan League, which lies in eastern Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

Her mother is a member of the country's ethnic Mongolian community and her father is Han.

One of the stories Guo and her younger sister loved was about her mother touring with the art troupe in a remote village. It was about 30 years ago when living conditions were not so good there. Usually, shows started after the herders finished their work. There was no electricity so the members of the troupe made a torch by using stripes of cloth as a wick. There were only seven families in the village. Guo's mother and her colleagues wondered how many people would come to their show. They were happy to see that all of the families gathered around and enjoyed their performances.

One of the villagers, an elderly man, held the hands of Guo's mother and told her how much he had enjoyed her dance.

"You must be tired to travel so far to perform here. We really appreciate it," he told Guo's mother.

"For my mother, who was a young dancer and joined the art troupe not long ago, it was an unforgettable experience and she was touched," says Guo. Her mother has been dancing with the troupe for nearly 40 years, and now at 53, she has become a teacher who trains young dancers.