FOR the first time, top-tier e-sport video game “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive” (“CS:GO”) has included a Chinese song in the game. Instead of a pop hit or a contemporary classic, the developers turned to music from the traditional intangible cultural heritage known as Qinqiang opera for inspiration. Released last week, the battle song “Painted Face,” which combines the melody of Qinqiang opera with rock’n’roll, will commemorate the fifth anniversary of the game’s launch in China. This is the first song to include traditional Chinese elements that the game has added to its music library since “CS:GO” was first introduced to the world in 2012. The game is operated in China solely by Perfect World and the release of “Painted Face” means that players around the world can experience the sensational feeling brought by Qinqiang opera, a treasure of traditional Chinese culture, while playing the game. Also called Luantan (literally chaotic hitting) for its use of a wooden clapper, Qinqiang opera mainly thrives in Northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, as well as Gansu and Qinghai provinces. It is a folk opera genre originating in the Western Zhou Dynasty (1046-771 B.C.) and was added to the country’s intangible cultural heritage list in 2006. It is considered as the most ancient and richest of all Chinese operas starting to prevail during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). (Global Times) | 