Songs that Carry Dreams:An Interview to Sun Heng, Director of Rural Workers’ Band
More significantly, rural workers are armed with the power to have their say in cultural and other social issues. They are no longer receivers of ideas that elite class impose on them; when they are tied into one string, they are producers and spreaders of their own culture. The top-down pattern has been taken on by a more equal one. The spiritual strength given to rural workers is another tool of protecting their benefits.
This is a story about a guy that was born being a peasant but became a college student and later a teacher and–most surprisingly—a street singer. All the performance with which he tried to impress the public returned nothing but hunger and poverty. After throwing himself to building sites, he picked up friendship with other rural workmates. A pop star among the rural workers around, he enjoyed respect and recognition. Suddenly an inspiration hit him that his songs, together with those of his rural friends, could bring more than just fun. So the idea was turned into reality—an unprecedented band exclusively of rural workers. The once “insane” vagabond rose as a celebrity, receiving hand-shakings from China’s top brass, interviews from the press, and invitations from colleges and universities. Yet he remained humble, blazing his own trial to preserve rural workers’ rights.
Songs for Rural Workers’ Voice
The Rural Workers’ Band was founded in May 1, 2002 with initially only ten members from all industries. As their footprints spread into more areas, their band swelled. Apart from live performance, they released copyright albums. They have produced two albums up to date. By erecting “Rural Workmates’ Family”, they stretched their hands to legal consultation, education and rights protection service. To address the education problem of rural workers’ offspring, they set up Tongxin (‘Heart-tying’ in English) Experimental School. As recently as May 2008, their Art Museum of Rural Workers was unveiled open to the public in an attempt to give a panorama of the history, life as well as contributions of China’s rural workers.
The originally feeble band does not merely survive; it thrives. The explanation to its steadfast growth lies essentially in what the harmonious society calls for—respect and return. Rural workers lay the footstones of China’s spectacular skyscrapers, subways, and other infrastructures; however, what they gain is way less than what they pay. To fill the gap, public awareness should be evoked. But how? “We hope that songs and other forms of performance would do the job,” responded Sun upon it, “our ultimate goal is to arouse people’s sympathy and respect for rural workers. This is the first step towards a harmonious society.” With this doctrine, their songs are mainly reflective of social reality. For instance, Song for the Children of Migrant Workers’ Families cries out the children’s appeal to equal education opportunity, while another song “Give Back Our Defaulted Wage” depicts a grinding course of claiming overdue wage.
Songs speak louder than words. Rural workers are encouraged to unite and the public are more perceptual to the inequality the workers are suffering. In this sense, the band is a bridge that connects the two ends.
Songs in Rural Workers’ Voice
Originality and voluntariness are what the band is born of. The songs were composed and performed by themselves. They are crude by art’s standard. But it is the naturalness that makes them more tangible to the audience. They are the affordable and apprehensible art for rural workers. Unlike the commercial performing markets, they are derived from life that the audience are familiar with, which waters the droughty land of rural workers’ art needs.
More significantly, rural workers are armed with the power to have their say in cultural and other social issues. They are no longer receivers of ideas that elite class impose on them; when they are tied into one string, they are producers and spreaders of their own culture. The top-down pattern has been taken on by a more equal one. The spiritual strength given to rural workers is another tool of protecting their benefits.
Helping You is Helping Me
Every member in the band has talent, be it singing, dancing, or cross talk. And every live show requires a strict procedure—works collection, creation, correction, rehearsal and final performance—and they are all crafted by the members. Despite the hard work, no one even asks for rewards. Its charitable nature captured the attention of influential NGOs like Oxfam Hong Kong. Today, most of the fund is financed by Oxfam, with the rest from social donations and rural workers themselves. Therefore, their sacrifice helps themselves.
As to what rural workers mostly hunger for, Sun replied, “they have massive needs in employment, welfare, medical insurance, adult education and their children’s education. However, they are most short of mental satisfaction. Songs, as we perceive, are the best pills.” As he introduced, the band currently organizes 40 to 50 concerts every year, but due to the mobility and liquidity of rural workers, their performers vary now and then. Even so, whenever a show is to initiate, there are always enough candidates to choose from because the workers know they are helping themselves when serving others.
The future of the band? Just as is claimed in their song We Shall Overcome,
“We are holding hands in hands, shoulders in shoulders
We are going ahead in solidarity.
….
O, deep in my heart
I do believe that
We shall overcome some day”
Hand in hand, they shall go on and on….
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