The Sounds and Charm of Qin Resonate in My Heart

Mao Caiqin

Shaanxi Association of Canada

January 13, 2026

I came to Canada after retiring and have lived in Newmarket, north of Toronto, for over ten years. Initially, due to the language barrier and unfamiliar environment, I, accustomed to the hustle and bustle of mainland China, found it very difficult to adapt. I thought that to live here long-term, I needed to change myself, actively learn about Western culture, familiarize myself with Canada, and integrate into the local society. The first thing I did was enroll in an English language training program in Newmarket. Over the years, I systematically studied ESL courses and reached a level equivalent to English Proficiency Test Band 4. I can speak simple everyday phrases and can travel independently, shop, see a doctor, and conduct banking transactions. I actively participate in activities organized by the Chinese community in Newmarket, singing, dancing, having meals together, watching cultural performances, visiting calligraphy and painting exhibitions, and participating in Spring Festival celebrations and senior citizen birthday celebrations. Local government officials and some Western residents also came to the event, gave speeches, and interacted with everyone, giving me the opportunity to practice my English listening skills and chat in English.

I enjoy traveling and have visited famous attractions such as Niagara Falls, the Thousand Islands, and Flowerpot Island. I've also explored Montreal and Quebec City in Eastern Canada, as well as the Maritime provinces of Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. I've sampled local cuisine, learned about local customs and cultures, and made many travel friends. I've participated in numerous Terry Fox runs and forest hikes, and attended local food festivals, pumpkin festivals, Halloween parties, and Easter gatherings. I've also enjoyed concerts, equestrian performances, and Indigenous dance festivals. These diverse activities have broadened my horizons, increased my knowledge, and changed my mindset.

My neighbors on both sides are Westerners, and we get along very well. We're always warm and friendly, exchanging pleasantries whenever we meet. They give us fresh mint, perilla, and houttuynia cordata they've grown themselves, and we reciprocate with tomatoes, loofah, and green beans from our own gardens. One lady even taught me how to make pizza, pastries, and roast turkey, and I taught her how to make dumplings, steamed buns, and "belt noodles." Living abroad, interacting with Westerners, and speaking English frequently, I've never forgotten the sounds and rhythms of my homeland, Qinqiang opera. That familiar accent, that stirring melody, is like a bond that carries my thoughts back to my hometown of Shaanxi, back to the land of Qin. My memories of Qinqiang opera are always linked to my grandfather's calloused hands. When I was little, whenever we went to the market, my grandfather would take me to see Qinqiang opera. The singing was sometimes as gentle and delicate as a spring breeze; at other times, it was like a violent storm, deeply moving. I was deeply captivated by this unique artistic charm.

After watching the opera, my grandfather told me stories of Qinqiang opera, recounting the loves, hates, joys, and sorrows of ancient Chinese people. The incorruptible Bao Zheng, the principled Qin Xianglian, the grateful Zhou Ren, and the loyal Yang family generals left a deep impression on me.

Through long-term exposure, I became familiar with Qinqiang opera and gradually fell in love with it. I remember when I was in elementary school, the auditorium of the Shaanxi Provincial Veterans' School was showing the Qinqiang opera "Splitting the Mountain to Save Mother," and I invited a few friends to watch. Halfway through the play, the children who came with me started to get sleepy and left one after another, but I insisted on watching the whole play. After the curtain call, it was already past 11 pm, and there wasn't a single familiar face around, so I had to go home alone. I stumbled and ran all the way, terrified, and broke out in a cold sweat.

Near my home was a theater called the Fighting Cock Theater, where the Baoji Municipal People's Theater Troupe and troupes from several surrounding counties took turns performing Qinqiang opera. I watched several plays, including The Fiery Steed, The Case of Chen Shimei, A Stroll on West Lake, and Wudianpo.

In those days of limited cultural life, I became increasingly fascinated by Qinqiang opera. During festivals, if Qinqiang was performed in nearby villages, workplaces, or distant temple fairs, I would run to experience it.

I not only loved watching plays, but I also imitated the actors. Sometimes, when my parents weren't home, I would gather some friends of my age, turn the earthen bed into a stage, stretch a rope in the middle, hang bed sheets on it as a curtain, drape my parents' clothes as costumes, and casually smear some paint on my face—and I was ready to be in character. Once, we performed the scene from the Meihu opera Liang Qiuyan where she digs wild vegetables. I played Liang Qiuyan, and I was so engrossed that I sang the entire following passage in one breath:

"In the warm spring, the swallows go to the fields. To comfort the families of soldiers, I dig vegetables, and I always want to be the first to do everything." Their heroes went to the front lines to defend our beautiful land; golden plaques of honor hang above their doors, spreading their good names throughout the world!

My childhood hobby has influenced my entire life. Even after coming to Canada, I still love Qinqiang opera. Every time I return to mainland China, I buy a whole bunch of CDs featuring famous Qinqiang performers to bring here, playing them during my leisure time. The ancient, powerful, and melodious tunes of Qinqiang enchant me and give me strength. When I'm happy, I love to enjoy comedies like "Twelve Sickles" and "Zhang Lian Buys Cloth," laughing along with the characters. When I'm depressed, I watch tragic scenes from "Blood and Tears" and "The Injustice to Dou E," shedding tears with the characters.

While cooking, washing clothes, or cleaning, I also turn on my phone and listen to Qinqiang opera while doing chores. Classic excerpts from Li Dongqiao's Si Lang Visits His Mother, Ma Youxian's The Legend of the White Snake, Li Xiaofeng's Meeting at Huating, Yang Shengjuan's Zhou Ren Returns Home, and Bao Dongdong's Entering the Palace Twice are all pieces I never tire of listening to.

In English class, when the teacher asks us to make sentences using the verb "like," I immediately say that I like listening to Qinqiang opera. The teacher asks me, "Can you explain to everyone what Qinqiang is?" I reply, "It's one of the oldest forms of Chinese opera, originating in my hometown of Shaanxi. Shaanxi belonged to the Qin state in ancient times, hence the name Qinqiang."

After class, I also introduce Qinqiang to interested classmates, telling them that it is widely popular in the northwestern provinces of Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, and Qinghai. The people there love to listen to and sing Qinqiang. Each Qinqiang play has a storyline, advocating the suppression of evil and the promotion of good, upholding justice, and is very educational.

At the end-of-term party of my English training class, someone suggested I sing a section of Qinqiang opera. Unable to refuse, I sang four lines from the opera Three Drops of Blood: "My ancestral home is in Hancheng County, Shaanxi, in Xinghua Village. My siblings' marriage was thwarted, and blood was spilled in the hall, a tragic injustice."

After school, I sometimes take walks in the nearby forest, playing classic Qinqiang tunes like Qinqiang Paizi Qu and Meihu Lianzou on my phone. One day, as I was intently listening to the famous banhu player Ran Fei's Guofeng Qinyun, a Western woman approached and curiously asked, "What music are you listening to?" I replied, "It's a local opera from my hometown, passed down for over three thousand years." She said, "This piece is unique and beautiful; I like it too!"

For the people of Shaanxi, Qinqiang is etched into their bones, melted into their blood—their native voice and sentiment, the root of their lives, their spiritual nourishment. "Eight hundred miles of Qin land, dust flying, thirty million Qin people roaring Qinqiang." No matter where we go, we cannot live without Qinqiang. It's like a close, ever-present companion, always by our side, relieving our worries and regulating our emotions, encouraging us to overcome difficulties and strive for progress.

"Home is where the heart is." In the land of maple leaves, with its gathering of overseas Chinese and the sounds of Qin opera, I spend every day happily and contentedly, my mood as bright as spring. Although China and Canada are thousands of miles apart, the Qin opera that lingers in my heart eliminates any sense of distance. I feel that living in Ontario, Canada, and living in Shaanxi Province, China, are almost no different!