Mar 06, 2023 07:46 PM

CHINA

Photo Essay: The Plight of China’s Blind Storytellers

By Chen Liang and Li Hang

Blind storytellers perform at the 2017 Majie folk art fair in Pingdingshan, Central China’s Henan province. Photo: Chen Liang/Caixin

Blind storytellers perform at the 2017 Majie folk art fair in Pingdingshan, Central China’s Henan province. Photo: Chen Liang/Caixin

In rural areas of Central China’s Henan province, the visually impaired have three main ways to support themselves: storytelling, fortune telling, or massage.

Armed with a Zhuizi, a traditional three-stringed instrument, and a wooden clapper, blind storytellers sing and share stories in the Henan dialect, which lends to the performance’s name — Henan Zhuizi.

You've accessed an article available only to subscribers

Subscribe today for just $.99.

VIEW OPTIONS

Share this article

Open WeChat and scan the QR code

GALLERY

: Gallery: Powerful Quake Strikes Off Japan

NEWSLETTERS

Get our CX Daily, weekly Must-Read and China Green Bulletin newsletters delivered free to your inbox, bringing you China's top headlines.

We ‘ve added you to our subscriber list.

Manage subscription

PODCAST

China Business Uncovered Podcast: Inside the Fall of ‘China’s LVMH’

00:00

00:00/00:00

MOST POPULAR

1: Chief Designer of China’s J-20 Stealth Fighter Disappears From Elite Academic Roster

2: Exclusive: First Chinese Supertanker Loads Saudi Crude via Red Sea, Bypassing Strait of Hormuz

3: Qatar Helium Shutdown Adds New Risk to Chip Supply Chain

4: Analysis: China’s Plan to Tackle Weak Demand, Low Inflation

5: Cover Story: U.S.-Israel War With Iran Drifts Toward Attrition

SPONSORED

OR