(S City, 16th)—Brunei’s senior educational representative Shen Renxiang recently took part in a memorable cultural feast—the “International Hakka Folk Song Exchange Showcase”—during the Southeast Asia 2025 Forum.
This event was jointly organized by the Southeast Asia Research Center of South China Normal University and the Guangdong International Cultural Exchange Center, among others, and served as one of the sub-forum activities of the South China Normal University Southeast Asia Forum 2025 International Conference, held recently at South China Normal University.
The showcase attracted over 300 university faculty and students, research institute representatives and guests from Hakka associations, becoming a grand cultural event spanning mountains and seas. Dozens of Hakka associations from the United States, Singapore, Malaysia, Mainland China, and Hong Kong and Macao gathered together, using folk songs as a bridge to promote cultural integration and celebrate shared heritage.
In his opening speech, Zhou Xian, Director of the Publicity Department at South China Normal University, expressed that Hakka folk songs are deeply rooted in the veins of Hakka people, serving as an important bridge linking Hakka communities worldwide and strengthening the sense of belonging to the Chinese nation. The university has long been committed to cultural inheritance and innovation. This showcase not only spreads Chinese culture and enhances cultural influence, but is also a meaningful practice of “using overseas Chinese as a bridge and songs to convey emotion,” gathering the unity of Chinese people at home and abroad.
The entire performance featured 19 wonderful programs, full of emotion and a warm atmosphere. Malaysian Hakka folk song inheritor Zhou Yajun and Professor Jia Shuanghui from Xinghai Conservatory of Music opened the event with “The Unforgettable Kindness of Overseas Chinese Mechanics,” moving the entire audience; Malaysian philanthropist and educator Li Yunzhen performed “Years” and “There Is a Covered Bridge in My Hometown,” expressing the longing of wanderers for their homeland and the spirit of pioneering; Hong Kong Charity Association Chairwoman Zheng Suwei presented the lively and uplifting “Folk Songs Bring Good Omens,” showcasing the festive scenes of traditional Hakka festivals; Professor Yu Hong from South China Normal University’s College of Music performed a new-style folk song, “Hakka Folks,” conveying the Hakka spirit of remembering one’s roots and feeling at home wherever they go.
Hakka folk song scholars and inheritors at home and abroad built bridges of communication through their singing. The evening was filled with emotional highs, vividly demonstrating the infectious power and cohesion of Hakka culture as it transcends regions and generations.