Chinese singer-songwriter Su Yang made his debut performance at the annual International Poetry Festival of Medellín in July. During the week-long festival, the 50-year-old musician wowed local audience with his original works inspired by Chinese folk music. [Photo provided to China Daily]

At 16, when he was studying in Shaanxi province, Su heard a classmate play the guitar and was immediately drawn to the sound of the instrument. He soon bought himself a guitar and had within a year became one of the best guitarists in his school. In 1995, he founded his rock band Transparent which quickly garnered a fan base in Yinchuan. The band disbanded in 1999.

Su has since 2003 been traveling around Northwest China to collect folk music materials from local communities. In 2006, he released his debut album, Able and Virtuous. Four years later, he released his second album, Like A Grass. Both of his albums feature elements of Chinese folk music, such as hua'er and qinqiang opera from Northwest China.

"His music transcends the language barrier and carries traditional Chinese culture. His lyrics are very poetic," says Fernando Rendon, founder and organizer of the International Poetry Festival of Medellin, which he launched in 1991. "We are glad to have him and his band in the festival."

Since premiering at a time when Medellin was amongst the world's most dangerous and violent cities, the festival has helped people reclaim their city through poetry readings in the streets.

"This year's festival celebrates the advent of the voices and the visions of native people, which goes along with my music," says Su. "I am fascinated with folk songs. They deserve a revival. They may not be popular today but what attracts me the most is that they are about the lives of common people."

During his stay in Medellin, Su also screened a documentary titled The River In Me, which features four other Chinese folk artists, including Ma Fengshan, who lives in Gu'an county, Ningxia Hui autonomous region, and sings traditional folk songs called hua'er, and Wei Zongfu, who lives in the mountainous area of Huanxian county of Gansu province and is a master of shadow puppetry.