Badema, a representative inheritor of the national intangible cultural heritage Mongolian Long Song [Photo/gmw.cn]

2. Badema, "Joan Baez"of Mongolian Long Song 

Mongolian Long Song, or Mongolian Long Tune, dating back to the seventh century AD, is one of the central elements of traditional music enjoyed by the Mongolian people as the folk art crystalizes and romanticizes their history, culture, aesthetics, ethics and philosophy.

Badema, born into an artistic family living amid the Alashan desert in North China's Inner Mongolia in 1940, has been acclaimed as the queen of the Mongolian Long Song for her extraordinary gift for singing as well as her decadeslong dedication to preserving and promoting the art. 

Click here to watch the documentary about Badema.