Inspirations for American folk music

Abigail Washburn is an American bilingual musician who performs in both English and Chinese.

In 1996, during her first year at Colorado College, she joined a summer program trip to China. Having enjoyed her experience there, she has returned to China again and again to visit, to work and to volunteer for humanitarian causes, including the reconstruction efforts in Sichuan after the massive earthquake that struck the province in 2008.

To raise money for that cause, Washburn recorded a CD featuring the voices of local children whose lives had been affected by the quake. All these experiences have had a great impact on Washburn. Studying Chinese and learning about Chinese culture made her want to explore her own country's traditional music.

Reporter: Dong Lin

Video: Lou Yi & Zhang Xiao