1 . Chinese singer Gong Linna released her new song, titled Return Home, which describes the overseas Chinese people’s longing for their homeland.
Performed in Chaoshan dialect, the song is part of Gong’s music project, which has the singer perform songs in different Chinese dialects. “It is very challenging to sing in Chaoshan dialect, which is a new language to me, and thanks to the songwriter Danny Sim and the song’s producer Wesley Tan, who speak the dialect, I received intensive training and practised very hard,” says Gong. “The beauty of dialects lies in telling stories of different places. It’s like a music al map, allowing me to explore different places through dialects.”
The idea of the song came from Qiaopi, a unique form of mail that served as both a letter and a remittance (汇款) sent by overseas Chinese people to their families in provinces of Guangdong and Fujian in the 19th and 20th centuries. At that time, many of those emigrants, particularly from Guangdong and Fujian, sent money back home to support their families, as well as communicating with their beloved ones and expressing their longing to be reunited.
“Dialects are a source of knowledge, traditions and the country’s cultural heritage. When I listen to a song performed in a dialect, I feel the local culture instantly even though I never go there and know nothing about the place,” says Sim, who wrote lyrics for the song, adding that there are a growing number of musicians in China performing in dialects, which allow listeners to get an emotional touch.
“Chaoshan dialect links people from the region. However, like many languages, it’s dying. Many young people, especially children, rarely speak the dialect, which is a sad thing.” Sim says, explaining why he is keen on writing songs by using the dialect, “I love my hometown and by writing songs in the dialect, I feel close to my home. Maybe that is, culture identity.”
1. What difficulty did Gong face when performing the song?
| A．She had the language barrier. | B．The culture was unfamiliar to her. |
| C．The song had to fit in with the whole project. | D．There were many unknown stories in the song. |
2. What does paragraph 3 mainly tell us about the song?
| A．Its history. | B．Its influence. | C．Its inspiration. | D．Its significance. |
3. What can we infer about the songs performed in dialects according to Sim?
| A．They are dropping in numbers. | B．They are seldom sung by young singers. |
| C．They can stimulate affective bond. | D．They help us know many unknown places. |
4. What drives Sim to write songs in Chaoshan dialect?
| A．A sense of duty as a song writer. | B．A sense of belonging to his hometown. |
| C．His eagerness to revive Chaoshan culture. | D．His addiction to the charm of the dialect. |
