The thunderous pulse of Malaysian drums reverberated across Tsinghua University's campus in Beijing this week, as students from China and Southeast Asia celebrated a unique cultural bridge: the 24 Festive Drums. Born in Malaysia's Chinese communities in 1988, this art form combining lion dance rhythms, Chinese opera elements, and Malay drumming traditions has found new life on Chinese campuses.
‘Our shared heartbeat transcends borders,’ said Lin Wei, a Tsinghua computer science student and drum team member, speaking to KhabarAsia. ‘When we perform, you see Malaysian students teaching traditional Hakka harvest rhythms while learning Peking Opera percussion techniques from Beijing classmates.’
The group's growth – from one university team in 2018 to 23 across the Chinese mainland – reflects warming cultural ties. CGTN reporter Guo Yan documented their recent rehearsal ahead of Malaysia-China Friendship Week celebrations, where participants from both countries will co-create new fusion performances.
Academics note such exchanges create organic people-to-people bonds. ‘Young people aren't just sharing rhythms – they're composing new ones together,’ observed Tsinghua cultural studies professor Dr. Zhang Li. With plans to collaborate on digital music archives preserving both nations' intangible heritage, these drummers prove cultural diplomacy needs no translation.
