Band of Beidou is all about sounds of music in rural China

Rapid urbanization is leading to the disappearance of village life across the country. Men work in big cities to make more money and women stay at home to take care of children and elderly parents. In many cases, both parents work in urban areas and their children are raised by grandparents.

In Beidou village, the average annual income of a resident is around 10,000 yuan ($1,600). Most of the income of a family comes from the farmland.

According to Yang Shiyong, conductor of the band, who is also in charge of the local government's cultural activities, most of the farmers used to play cards or mahjong in their spare time. But with the birth of the band, they have devoted much of their time to learning and practicing music.

He recalls that, at the beginning, many people applied to join the band out of curiosity or just hoping to kill some time but they soon quit because of the difficulties of learning the instruments.

"Most of the members are above 40, which makes the process of learning very hard. They had to start from zero, like breathing, counting rhythms and reading the musical scores," says Yang, 44, who learned to play the saxophone when he served in the navy and has been working in Beidou since 2008.

Yang says the band has influenced other villagers and new members join every year. Besides performing regularly for the local people, band members have also participated in big-stage events such as the one with the China National Symphony Orchestra at the Beijing Concert Hall in 2014.

Zhou Yongshu, a 44-year-old member of the village band, who has played the trumpet since 2011, says she was so excited to come to Beijing that she bought new clothes and shoes for the trip.

Before joining in the band, she spent most of her time taking care of the family and working in the fields.

"I couldn't even tell trombone from trumpet at the beginning. But now I can play more than 20 songs. I am very proud of myself," she says.