The ballad meige acted as the cultural encyclopedia of the Yi people- the seventh largest of the 55 ethnic minority groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China-recording their ancestors, history, life experiences, and moral education so that they can be set to a relatively fixed set of narrative and musical patterns. The Yi language is currently under threat: many Yi people can neither speak nor read in their language, and therefore use Mandarin Chinese in their daily lives instead. Meige appears to be a good vehicle to help language retention and the transmission of Yi culture. Yuanshengfang, a Non-Government Organization (NGO) in Yunnan province, has been collaborating with several Yi musicians in Mayou village, Chuxiong city (meige's place of origin) to establish a center for teaching and learning meige. The center, which has a few students as young as 5, is led by conservatory-trained local musician Guo Xiaowei (Example 10: Children in Mayou village, Chuxiong city. Courtesy of Qian Lijuan.