Connecting with roots through power of song

Music and singing have healing powers so strong that words pale in comparison. At an annual event on Saturday night - one that was initiated in 2011 and intended to foster overseas Chinese people's enthusiasm for Chinese language and culture - I felt the power.

The Water Cube Cup singing contest (San Francisco site), sponsored by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council, the Beijing Municipal Government and the All-China Youth Federation, requires participants to be of Chinese origin and use the Chinese language in song.

Since its founding, the contest has attracted more than 8,000 participants from more than 30 countries and regions around the world.

Contestants this year, ranging in age from 4 to 60, offered a kaleidoscope of songs, from household tunes to Bel Canto classics.

He Konghua, chairwoman of the organizing committee, said this year they received approximately 100 resumes and after the preliminaries, 22 qualified for the June 10 finals at Sophia University in Palo Alto.

"We've seen in America an increasing interest in getting to know China among overseas Chinese, parents and their children," said He. "It's common knowledge today that you can't be competitive without mastering the Chinese language and knowing adequately about China the country."

That might help explain why the parents of Shining Teens - a group composed of Jonathan, Etta and Alvin - agreed to hire a tutor and studio coach to improve the children's Chinese pronunciation and choreography.

Speaking for Shining Teens, Luo Ping said she scrutinized more than 30 Chinese songs before finally choosing the Descendants of the Dragon, better known as Long De Chuan Ren among Chinese speakers.

"The lyrics and the rhythm have to be inspiring and speak to the audience," Luo said, adding that the event means to honor the history of China and "makes you feel proud to be associated with China."

The lyrics translate: "In the ancient East there was a dragon, its name was China. In the ancient East there was a group of people, they were all descendants of the dragon. Under the foot of the great dragon I grow, grow into a descendant of the dragon - black eyes, black hair, yellow skin, forever a descendant of the dragon."

Etta, 8, was born in the US to first-generation Chinese immigrants. She took lessons to hone her Chinese-speaking skills and practiced with Jonathan and Alvin nights and weekends.

"We want to show the best of ourselves," Etta said.

In preparing for the contest, overseas Chinese get the opportunity to resort to their Chinese heritage, reconnect with their native tongue and retrieve fond memories of the land and people of China, said Amy Xu, one of the volunteer members of the organizing committee.

As home to nearly 40 percent of the entire Chinese-American population, California boasts a long history of accommodating Chinese immigrants dating back to the 1800s. The fresh-off-the-boat immigrants have contributed to the construction of American infrastructure, agriculture and service industries.

Since the 1940s, new immigrants have made indelible additions to America's development in industries from technology and science to electronics and machinery.

"Overseas Chinese have shrugged off the stereotype image of being politically and socially latent in recent years," said He Konghua, adding that many are playing important roles in enhancing China-US friendship and communication.

Luo wants to infuse a sense of pride in the younger overseas Chinese.

"I'm obsessed with listening to the lyrics," said Luo in reference to the song Ode to the Motherland, a famous patriotic song composed by Wang Xin in the 1950s just after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

"Across the mountains, across the plains, over the turbulent Yellow and Yangtze rivers, this vast and beautiful land is our dear homeland. The heroic people have stood up! Our unity and fraternity are as strong as steel," she sang.

Contact the writer at junechang@chinadailyusa.com.