On the afternoon of March 7, a public-benefit performance featuring Nanyin, an ancient musical art, and zanhua, a flower headdress tradition from Quanzhou, Fujian Province, was staged at Enshang Wetland Park in Yantian.

During the event, the audience sat on the lawn and enjoyed an up-close show by Nanyin inheritors from Quanzhou.

Hailed as a "living fossil" of ancient Chinese music, Fujian Nanyin is the best-preserved musical art form in China and has survived for more than a millennium.

Literally meaning "music of the south," Nanyin goes by many names: Xianguan, Nanguan, Nanyue and Nanqu, to name a few.

It is central to the culture of the people of Minnan (the southern part of Fujian) as well as the Minnan diaspora communities overseas. Nanyin originated in the coastal city of Quanzhou, and it has enjoyed wide popularity in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, as well as many regions in Southeast Asia.

The formation of a Nanyin ensemble is similar to that of a five-person band. Positioned in the middle is the singer, or lead performer, who also plays the wooden clapper to keep the beat; on the left are two musicians playing the vertical flute and the erxian (a small two-stringed instrument) respectively, while on the right are two musicians playing the pipa (a plucked string instrument) and the sanxian (a three-stringed instrument).

Nanyin can date back as far as two millennia, to the Han Dynasty (206 B.C. – 220 A.D.), and it formed a unique performance style in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), according to Wang Yaohua, a musicologist specializing in Nanyin. Nanyin melodies are often slow, gentle and delicate.

Given its historical value and cultural influence, Nanyin was inscribed in 2009 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

At the event, Nanyin inheritors presented classic pieces through solos, duets, group singing, and pure instrumental performances. The clear, melodious music intertwined with the wetland's bird songs and the whisper of the wind, offering the audience a surreal artistic experience.

Zeng, who was out for a walk in the park with his family, enjoyed the performance. He compared the experience to time travel to an ancient gathering of scholars. "Yantian is the perfect venue for such a leisurely and delightful event," he said.

"The moment the music started, my mind calmed with it," another citizen said.

During the event, Tian Tian, an ambassador for the Xunpu zanhua tradition, showcased the stunning flower headdress. With their hair tied into a bun, women since ancient times have worn a wreath embellished with seasonal fresh and silk flowers, such as peonies, tulips or carnations.

"We use Yantian's unique bell-shaped blossoms to create the headdresses," she explained.