NANNING - Residents in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, an area renowned for its musical folklore, are turning to song to make the public more aware of ways to prevent the spread of AIDS.

"All people unite to fight AIDS. AIDS will go away if we know enough about it," say the lyrics of one song written as part of the campaign.

"We asked eight local singers to write and record songs about the disease," said Huang Zhanghui, 55, a resident of Shantun village in the autonomous region. "We think this is an effective way for local people to learn more about AIDS."

He said the songs are played through loudspeakers in his village every evening.

Huang said the songwriting campaign has proved effective because folk songs are a traditional art form in the region and are readily understandable and acceptable to residents.  

Guangxi is one of the areas in China where AIDS has spread particularly widely. The region ranks only behind Henan province in Central China in that regard.

More than 76 percent of the AIDS infections in the region come from sexual activity, according to Ge Xianmin, an official from the AIDS prevention office of the Guangxi regional government.

Bama county, which administers Shantun, is known for the longevity of its residents. Nearly 2,500 of the people living there are older than 80, and 81 are older than 100.

"We will not let AIDS threaten this tradition," Huang said.

Two months ago, Huang was chosen to be the head of the village's AIDS prevention office. Besides using folk songs, the office spreads knowledge about AIDS prevention through text messages and films shown in public places.

"We have been making progress in our anti-AIDS campaign," he said. "Nearly all of our villagers know how AIDS is transmitted and how to prevent it."

There are more than 160 AIDS prevention groups in the city of Hechi, which administers Bama county.

Lu Meirong, 33, joined a local women's anti-AIDS group in June.

"I used to turn red at the simple mention of sexual topics," she said.

Now, though, she said she has become comfortable reminding her husband and other relatives to stay away from sex workers and to use condoms during sexual intercourse.

She has also advised other women in the village to keep an eye on their family members. "I tell them to remind their migrant relatives to be tested for HIV after returning home," she said.

Wei Kaizhong, head of the health bureau of the city of Hechi, said he believes it is important for villagers to inform each other about ways to prevent HIV/AIDS.

"In this way, we can establish a network at the grassroots level," he said.

By the end of 2010, more than 370,000 Chinese adults and children were estimated to be living with HIV, according to the China HIV/AIDS Information Network.

And nearly two-thirds of Chinese AIDS carriers live in rural areas. Rural residents have a significantly higher risk of contracting the disease than urban residents, according to Ge.

"Rural areas are the weakest links in China's work to prevent AIDS," Ge said. "Campaigns conducted by local residents are the most economical and effective way to stop the spread of AIDS."