Hainan Stories with Cai Pa, a series presented by the director of the Hainan Daily Oral Tradition Research Center and local author Cai Pa, launches on June 11, Chinese Cultural and Natural Heritage Day. Through the medium of oral storytelling, Cai delves into the unique history, culture and customs of Hainan’s ‘melting pot’.

Hainan has a rich history of folk songs encompassing various forms grounded in its ethnic diversity, including the Yazhou folk songs of early Han settlers, the songs of the Li, the antiphonal anthems of the Danzhou Miao people and the fishing ditties of Lingao and the Tanka people. These art forms have all been listed as national-level intangible cultural heritage and have inspired countless classic hits such as “It’s Been a Long Time”, “Come on Down to Tianya Haijiao” and “Wanquan, How Clear Your Waters Are”.

In the first installment of Hainan Stories with Cai Pa, you will hear from Cai about the creation story of a Hainan song famous throughout China – “It’s Been a Long Time”. What cannot be expressed through words alone, can be through song.