In an enlightening interview, we spoke with Zhang Xiaohui about the recently concluded 2024 World Minnan Language Golden Melody Awards and Cross-Strait Minnan Music Grand Contest. The intense global qualifying rounds took place from October 24 to 25 in Longwen, Zhangzhou, Fujian, culminating in the selection of 12 finalists who will compete in the grand finale on October 31 in Anxi, Quanzhou for the title of the new World Minnan Language King.

The pool of 12 finalists hails from various regions, including Fujian’s competition area, the Fujian Children’s division, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Remarkably, this year’s competition saw ten talented young contestants make it through to the global rounds from a total of 60 participants. A panel of five distinguished music industry professionals from around the world served as judges, scoring and providing feedback to the participants. The high-stakes atmosphere drew crowds from near and far, leading to packed venues for both days of competition.

Zhang shared insights about the overarching vision behind the awards and competition, which aims to establish a grand, wide-reaching, and professionally robust platform for Minnan music on the world stage. Key planner Ke Xiping elaborated on the scale of the event, which featured seven major competition zones and over 30 sub-competitions, totaling nearly 70 events. The Fujian division encompassed three sub-areas: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, and Quanzhou, while the Taiwan division included Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung. Southeast Asia was represented through six locations, including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Brunei, alongside additional divisions in the Greater Bay Area, Europe and America, and the Yangtze River Delta.

Notably, this year’s competition introduced children’s and university divisions, reinstating the Thailand and Brunei sub-regions, while also adding regions in southern Zhejiang and eastern Guangdong.

Reflecting on the event, Ke highlighted that this year’s scale broke historical records, attracting over 12,000 contestants to apply. The Taiwan division alone saw a remarkable surge, with participation exceeding 4,000, 90% of whom were young people.

Lastly, the event’s overall director and founding producer Chen Fei emphasized the continuous improvement in the scale, quality, and impact of the competition each year. She noted a high caliber among the advancing contestants, many of whom presented original songs that impressed the audience. Chen expressed her aspiration for the competition to inspire more young people to embrace Minnan songs and culture, thereby spreading the beauty of Minnan music around the globe.