'Beginning sound': Ancient jaw harp promotes musical charm over millennia

Unlike the traditional kouxian performing style, Ma usually hits the jaw harp faster, which results in a louder reverberation of sounds produced by mouth. In 2022, Ma received a master award, during an international jaw harp competition in Russia. Ma hopes more people will develop an interest in and obtain a better understanding of the kouxian performing art of the ethnic Yi people. Ma currently teaches kouxian in Yunnan. She also offers online courses to teach foreigners how to play kouxian.

An Yuge is a national-level inheritor of the music played by ethnic Hui instruments (including kouxian), which was added to the list of China's national intangible cultural heritage in 2006. Kouxian is one of the instruments An makes and plays.