Chinese band DOLAN plays a Mongolian folksong. L to R, Husilei (xoomei and matouqin), Sunbori (guitarist and arranger), Aheicha (lead singer), Liu Shiwei (drummer and percussionist) and Chaoluomeng (matouqin and xoomei). [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

Xoomei, matouqin (or horse head guitar) and long tune are all artistic heritages of the Mongolian minority in China. DOLAN, a group of musicians passionate about Mongolian folksongs, want to let people know about their traditional form of art, with an added modern twist. Their aim is to have Mongolian sounds resonate in the hearts of the younger generations by presenting traditional songs in a novel fashion.

Music is food for the soul, and there are neither boundaries nor borders to its beauty. This is exactly what DOLAN believes in.

"Some people don't even want to try to listen to new types of songs simply because they don't understand the language. This puzzles me. The same crowd is sometimes hardcore followers of Bon Jovi or Michael Jackson. Do they speak fluent English? Not necessarily", said Sunbori, the leader and guitarist of the band.

"Appreciation of music has two dimensions. You can enjoy its beautiful lyrics, or you can simply love the tunes. If you can listen to a foreign song without understanding a word, you can do the same with other types of songs, including Mongolian folksongs", Chaoluomeng, the lead matouqin player, added.

DOLAN's songs are very easy to enjoy, even for those who don't know a single word of Mongolian. "We've added many elements from modern music. Depending on the song, we'll add a touch of R&B or a twist of Jazz. This makes it easier for our songs to be accepted, even by those who are not accustomed to Mongolian sounds," said Sunbori.

This gives a new "look" to the traditional folksongs without changing their fundamental essence. Still the soft and mellow folksongs, still singing about tender human emotions, and still sung with passion and feelings, only easier to appreciate.

Their group name DOLAN means "warmth" in Mongolian, a nice match to the feeling their songs bring. Music directly reflects the characters of the players, and DOLAN's sounds emit an aura of purity and honesty. In this increasingly complicated world, that's something we should value and protect.