1 . “We don’t mind using GPS,” says our Aboriginal guide Baamba in his Australian accent, as he looks out across the wilderness which belongs to his tribe. The red ground ahead is covered with bushes and trees. Although it’s early, it’s already 30 degrees in the shade. It’s a difficult hike, but Baamba is a sensible guide: he always carries a satellite phone in his backpack in case of emergencies. His ancestors, however, relied on songs.

The early Australian Aborigines made the land navigable (可航行的) through songs, dance and paintings. The songs described pathways or “songlines”, which provided an oral “map” of the land. They showed people where to find a water hole, where there was a river and where they could hunt. Generations of Aboriginals followed these pathways, leaving clear marks and carvings on rocks and trees to help future travelers. “But the songs describe more than a pathway,” explains Baamba. “They also tell stories about how the world was created.” According to Aboriginal stories, the world was created, when giant beings, part human, part animal, came down from the sky. From across the sea and from deep in the earth.

One of the many sacred sites called Arkaroo Rock was mentioned in the songs and stories about the land. These songs and stories show the close relationship between the native people and their environment, how they saw themselves as part of nature rather than master of it, and how their way of life resulted in a valuable knowledge of their land. It was a way of life with more than 2,000 generations. It was a way of life that was safe from invasion and influence until 1788.

____________ Sadly, this destroyed their ancient way of life, and many Aboriginal songlines were lost. Today, people like Baamba are trying to restore this heritage and preserve it.

It’s late now and Baamba is waiting outside Arkaroo Rock. Inside, we’re admiring the beautiful cave paintings, but as soon as we have taken some photos, we leave. Dark clouds are visible on the horizon—there are already flashes of lightning and thunder in the distance. As we drive away, the wind blows through the trees, and we can almost hear the voices of those first Australians, singing the songs of their ancestors, and following the songlines.

3 . Do you remember reading an article called Kouji in middle school? In it, a kouji performer, specializing in vocal mimicry, creates lifelike performances of various sounds using just his mouth, with the stage having only a table, a block of wood on it, a chair and a fan.

Originating from ancient China, the art of kouji involves skillfully using movements of the lips, teeth, throat, and tongue to produce sounds that mimic birds, animals, and various other noises in the world. It is often combined with story-telling during performances. In 2011, kouji was recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage.

According to the IHChina website, traditional kouji is becoming endangered due to the rapid development of electronic audio. However, Cao Quyang, a 28-year-old inheritor, has found a solution by combining kouji with beatboxing, achieving a perfect combination of traditional and modern performance art.

Cao started learning kouji in 2016 when she wanted to bring something original to her B -box performance. "As a former percussionis (打击乐器演奏者), I'm sensitive to rhythm, so I integrated the kouji techniques I learned into beatboxing and created my own unique style in my area of expertise." she added. For example, when mimicking environmental sounds like wind, Cao can use her mouth to weave beatboxing into it, making the sound of the wind stronger and more rhythmic." The addition of beatboxing brings more musical expression to kouji performances, making the stories more vivid and appealing to today's young audiences." said Cao.

In addition to kouji and beatboxing, Cao can also play the Chinese drums, drum set, and piano, as well as DJ. "Innovation is not difficult for me. To me, innovation is simply expressing something that people don't understand in a way they do," said Cao, "As long as it combines tradition and modernity and allows the public to appreciate the beauty of tradition through innovation, I'm willing to do it."

The Mogao Grottoes, a world-renowned     1     (culture) heritage site in Dunhuang, contains 735 caves and more than 45,000 square meters of murals. Their preservation could not have been done     2     the dedication of countless guardians across     3     (generation). Among them, Fan Jinshi, former president of the Dunhuang Academy, is an illustrative one.

Fan first trekked all the way to Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes in July 1963 shortly after     4     (graduate) from college. She kept a dream to protect the national cultural heritage     5     remained there for more than 50 years. Over the past decades, she     6     (put) down roots in the desert, as if her life and Dunhuang’s have blended into one. Thus she has become known as “Daughter of Dunhuang”.

Fan has made outstanding contributions to the cause of “protecting, studying and carrying forward” Dunhuang Grottoes through her work. She was the first     7     (suggest) the “Digital Dunhuang” concept in the late 1980s to preserve the murals,     8     (paint) sculptures and historical data in Dunhuang Caves permanently. She also     9     (active) promoted the popularization of the Dunhuang culture.

Now, 85-year-old Fan Jinshi,     10     still works very hard to protect and manage the caves, is as busy as ever, “I’ve done all I could for Dunhuang,” she says.

10 . Pitch Music & Arts Festival

After its debut (问世) several years ago, Pitch Music &Arts Festival quickly became one of the most exciting and hotly anticipated events. Held at the foothills of the Grampian Plains, it aims to deliver a distinct blend of sonic soundscapes across three architecturally designed stages.

This year, the festival will be headlined by Gerd Janson, Patrick Mason, French producer I Hate Models, Italian Job Jobse, and Berghain resident Marcel Dettmann. Daniel Avery will do a live set for the first time in Australia, coinciding (同时发生) with the recent10th anniversary of his classic album Drone Logic. KiNK will also be playing a live set.

Other international artists include Chaos in the CBD, Aurora Halal (LIVE), Bailey Ibbs, Sally C, Bambounou and many more. Pitch Music & Arts will also highlight local pioneers, including James who will be playing with Willaris. K, Surusinghe, Bertie, Memphis LK, and many more.

For those looking for a moment of peace, the Pitch Pavilion will appear this year. This place is where festivalgoers can participate in yoga classes and sound baths. For those ready to rough it, you can bring your own tent and set it up in a free camping area.

Pitch allows you to bring up to 24 cans, or one bottle of spirits poured into a plastic bottle. There will be numerous bars on site serving cocktails, mixed drinks and a range of beers.

The tickets will be on sale from 5, May to 6, June. Want to find more information? Then head to the Pitch website.