Celebrating Sichuan's musical roots

The music conference, themed "Connecting the World with Original Music", concluded in Beijing on Saturday. Serving as an important backdrop to the event, the Sichuan Provincial Original Song Competition has been held for two consecutive years and has emerged as a core platform for invigorating local creativity and nurturing quality works.

The 2024 Sichuan Provincial Original Song Competition produced a breakout hit, Jade Plate, a song that traveled from Sichuan province to the CCTV annual Spring Festival Gala stage. The song has been streamed over 500 million times, while related topics have generated more than 27 billion views, underscoring the strong communicative and emotional appeal of Sichuan's original music.

The 2025's competition reached new heights, creating what the organizers said a competition ecosystem where "everyone can participate, and the music can be heard everywhere". The competition ultimately collected 20,157 original songs nationwide, an eightfold increase over its inaugural edition. Associated activities attracted a total online audience of over 200 million, with the event frequently appearing on the trending lists of mainstream platforms.

The second edition of the competition attracted more than 200,000 participants. The competition also awarded more than 2.5 million yuan ($359,000) in total prizes, with the grand prize of one million yuan going to Yi ethnic singer Jihu for his song Mother's River, highlighting both Sichuan's musical roots and the recognition of ethnic cultural traditions.

The conference concluded with a moving performance by singer Jihu, champion of the second competition. He performed his award-winning song Mother's River, a poignant and touching melody expressing deep affection for his mother and hometown, earning a standing ovation from the audience.