Children’s choir from rural areas in north China’s Hebei Province makes its way to Winter Olympic stage

A children’s choir from north China’s Hebei Province sang the Olympic Anthem in Greek, the native Olympic language, at the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. The 44 members of the choir are from rural primary schools in Fuping county, which previously had high levels of poverty.

Members of a children’s choir sing the Olympic Anthem at the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, Feb. 4, 2022. (Xinhua/Li An)

Since 2004, Deng Xiaolan, a retiree, has been traveling regularly to Malan village, Fuping to volunteer as a music teacher.

It took Deng at least seven hours to reach the village from Beijing. Despite the various challenges she encountered, Deng found that the children were talented, being able to sing a song after having just a few lessons with her.

Deng also brought a variety of musical instruments to the village so that the students could learn music to the fullest. Over the past 18 years, she spent at least half a year each year teaching music. In 2013, Deng initiated a concert in Malan village with the aim of allowing her young students to feel the magic of music.

While the children were learning the Olympic Anthem, Deng accompanied them by learning the song with them, while helping the Greek language teacher find more effective methods for the children to memorize the lyrics.

Deng Xiaolan and children from Malan village sing the song Auld Lang Syne during a concert she organized in 2013. (People’s Daily Online/Shen Yaxin)

When she watched the performance given by the children at the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, Deng, who is nearly 80 years old, said she would very much like to share the exciting news with her father, Deng Tuo, former president of Jinchaji Daily based in Malan village, which is one of the predecessors of the People’s Daily.

Deng Xiaolan, who was born in Fuping county and was raised by local residents over the course of three years, now leads the children from the small village to the center of the world stage.

To date, some of Deng’s earliest students from Fuping have graduated from colleges, while the poverty reduction story in Fuping is even more inspiring. In 2014, of 209 villages in Fuping, 164 suffered high levels of poverty, with 108,100 locals living beneath the poverty line, with the poverty incidence standing at 54.37 percent. In February 2020, Fuping bid farewell to poverty.

Deng Xiaolan (left) poses for a picture with members of the children choir. (Photo provided by the interviewee)

Deng Xiaolan introduces members of the children’s choir in front of a group photo. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Jihang)