Tuning into tradition

The videos struck a chord with music lovers, especially young people, with 60 million views.

"The music is so cool. You successfully changed my impression about traditional Chinese music," comments one viewer on video-sharing platform Bilibili. "I want to learn to play those instruments myself."

Besides domestic social media, Crazy Folk videos have also been uploaded to overseas platforms, such as YouTube.

"I know I am late to the party but wow, this is amazing! Simply beautiful. I love how the instruments are blended together," comments one YouTube viewer.

That is the exact feedback that the players were hoping to get from the audience, according to Li Haoyan, one of the team members behind the Crazy Folk videos.

All of the team members are in their late 20s and early 30s, Li adds.

"The musicians just tried to play the music and explain how versatile and fun traditional Chinese music can be," Li says. "We are happy that many people have enjoyed the videos and have become interested in traditional music."

Li works with a professional video production team headquartered in Chengdu. She lives in the city and enjoys the lifestyle, food, culture and history. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has disrupted regular daily life, Li and her team started to think about making entertaining and creative videos about the city.