Karaoke - aka 'KTV' - is a much-loved form of entertainment for millions of Chinese. Although it is not the activity of choice for most of China's international population, there are some foreigners who can tear it up in the baofang.

Kunming resident Steph Jensen alerted us to the story of Mike Alpert, an American who decided to try his luck in a national karaoke competition:

"In the middle of May, Mike was selected from over 1,000 hopefuls as one of twelve finalists to compete in a provincewide karaoke competition. Mike, known in Chinese as Xiangzi (祥子), registered when he saw an ad for the competition at his gym. He was the only foreigner to enter, and though he did not have the best singing voice, his enthusiasm won the judges over in the preliminary round."

"He advanced to the next round of 50 singers, eventually earning a spot in the finals with 11 other talented local singers. In the finals, Mike chose to sing " 恋爱ing" by Mayday (五月天). This YouTube video, filmed and created by one of Mike's fans, documents the competition and its outcome."

Does Mike win the Yunnan provincial karaoke championships and continue on to the national competition in Shanghai? Watch the video to find out.

GoKunming thanks Steph Jensen for her contribution. If you have a story you'd like to share with GoKunming readers, please contact us via our contact form.

Tags: entertainment, karaoke, Mike Alpert, Steph Jensen, video

Thanks to Colin Flahive for providing us with video from the May 18 benefit for victims of the Wenchuan earthquake. The evening of music by Kunming-based performers raised 10,987 yuan, which was donated to the Chinese Red Cross.

The above video features that evening's performance by Co Op Sol (邪作社) – video footage of performances by Synthatron, Kris Ariel and Cat and Colin are also available for viewing on YouTube.

Tags: Cat and Colin, Chinese Red Cross, Co Op Sol, Colin Flahive, Kris Ariel, Speakeasy Bar, video, Wenchuan earthquake

Thanks to Kunming-based educator Ryan O'Connor for this video of some of his primary school students singing "Hello Goodbye" by the Beatles (甲壳虫乐队). If you have Kunming- or Yunnan-related video that you would like to share with GoKunming readers, please send us the link via our contact form.

Tags: Beatles, education, video

Here's some more footage from Yuanyang in southern Yunnan province. This follow-up to our recent post of video from Yuanyang features a Hani funeral passing through town, tobacco and jewelry vendors and locals just hanging out and chatting.

Thanks to Kris Ariel for providing this video. If you have video content that you'd like to contribute to GoKunming, please send or contact us via our contact form.

Tags: Kris Ariel, video, Yuanyang

Yunnan Yuansheng Indigenous Music and Dance Studio is the only theater in Kunming dedicated to preserving and promoting the music and dance traditions of Yunnan's twenty-five ethnic minorities. Yuansheng Studio features 15 full-time performers from Yunnan's Yi and Wa minorities - many of whom are some of the last living masters of their musical traditions.

The video clip above contains some of the numerous highlights of Yuansheng's performance of its production Sounds of the Yunnan Countryside. Filmed and edited by Kris Ariel, this performance from last Monday illustrates the remarkable vocal and instrumental versatility of each Yuansheng performer.

Yuansheng Studio's summer season will be wrapping up in the coming weeks, but there will still be performances each week, including Thursday (Aug 30). Tickets for the 90-minute show cost 60 yuan and performances start at 8:30 pm. For more information about upcoming performances, contact Yuansheng Studio at 2400237 or 13354608051. Yuansheng Studio is located within the Loft/Chuang Ku art compound at 101 Xiba Lu.

Yunnan Yuansheng Indigenous Music and Dance Studio
源生坊剧场
101 Xiba Lu (Inside the Loft)
西坝路101号（创库内）
Tel: 2400237, 13354608051

Tags: arts and entertainment, ethnic minorities, Kris Ariel, Sounds of the Yunnan Countryside, video, Yuansheng Studio

The town of Yuanyang (元阳), located in south-central Yunnan about 60 kilometers from the border with Vietnam, is a popular travel destination that's still a little off the beaten path. It is primarily home to the Hani and Yi ethnic minorities and is renowned for the beautiful terraced rice fields throughout the area.

Kunming resident Kris Ariel has made a 10-minute video montage of clips from a recent trip to Yuanyang, posted above. If you have any video (or audio) that you would like to contribute to GoKunming, please contact us via our contact form.

Tags: Kris Ariel, travel, video, Yuanyang

Thanks to Dali resident Zhao Rongjie for providing us with this video of child street performers in Dali old town. If you have interesting video from Kunming or elsewhere in Yunnan that you would like to share with GoKunming readers, please send to admin(at)gokunming.com.

Tags: Dali, video, Zhao Rongjie

Here is some more video footage from the Kunming International Cultural Tourism Festival's youth showcase at Century Plaza. It would seem Kunming would be one of China's better cities for an outdoor music festival...

Tags: Kunming International Cultural Tourism Festival, video