Yi Music: Promoting Yi Culture Through Music

A Cultural Promoting Website

Manye Xu, a Yi herself, is passionate about promoting her culture to the world. She recognizes that music is a universal language that transcends boundaries and limitations, making it an ideal medium to introduce the world to the mysteries of Yi culture. The Yi people are known for their singing and dancing, using songs to tell traditional legends and stories that reflect their love, sadness, home, and beliefs.

Yi Music stands out from other music websites by focusing on cultural diversity and communication. While most music platforms prioritize commercial pop music, Yi Music is dedicated to showcasing the unique Yi culture of Southwest China. It serves as a platform for Yi singers to share their music and for people around the world to discover the beauty and depth of Yi music.

The design of Yi Music incorporates elements inspired by Yi traditional patterns and architectures. Manye Xu used Adobe Illustrator to create icons that reflect the essence of Yi culture. The website interface and framework were designed using Photoshop, resulting in a visually captivating and user-friendly platform.

Upon entering the Yi Music website, visitors are greeted by a home page that represents the Yi people's belief in their homeland and ancestors, as well as their reverence for the gods of fire and moon. The green circle symbolizes the sun and moon, which hold great significance in Yi culture. By clicking on the home page, visitors can listen to Yi music performed by talented Yi singers. They can also share their favorite songs by creating their own DIY music posters in the DIY sharing page.

The history page of Yi Music provides insights into the traditional instruments used in Yi music. Visitors can learn about the instruments' names and sounds, deepening their understanding of Yi music history and its stories. To further engage visitors, Yi Music offers a music game where players listen to a part of a Yi song and must identify the instrument and tone used in the song.

For those who develop a love for Yi music, Yi Music provides an online shop where visitors can purchase music albums to support Yi singers. By doing so, they not only encourage the creation of more beautiful songs but also contribute to the preservation of Yi culture and the realization of Yi children's music dreams.

The Yi Music project was realized in Guangzhou, China, and reflects extensive research on the Yi people and their cultural heritage. With over 7 million Yi people living in China, Manye Xu recognized the need to promote and preserve their unique traditions. The Yi people's belief in nature, ancestors, and celestial bodies, as well as their mastery of singing and dancing, inspired Manye Xu to create Yi Music as a platform for cultural exchange.

Designing Yi Music came with its challenges. Manye Xu had to carefully select patterns and colors that accurately represented Yi culture. Additionally, the website needed to strike a balance between being entertaining and educational, ensuring it fulfilled its purpose as a cultural promoting website.

Yi Music, designed by Manye Xu, is a testament to the power of music in preserving and promoting cultural heritage. Through this unique website, the world can now experience the enchanting melodies and captivating stories of the Yi people, contributing to the preservation of Yi culture for generations to come.