CCTV Spring Festival Gala in 1999.
"Eighteen Bends of the Mountain Road" is a song sung by Li Qiong, with lyrics by Tong Wensi and Yin Jianping and music by Wang Yuanping.
In 1999, Li Qiong was invited to be the soloist of "Eighteen Bends of the Mountain Road" in the Spring Festival Gala of China Central Television (CCTV) and became famous. She won the "Five One" Project Award of the Central Propaganda Department and the second prize of "My Favorite Program" in the 1999 CCTV Spring Festival Gala.
Expanded:
"Eighteen Bends of the Mountain Road" was originally titled "Children of the Sun", but Yan Su later renamed it "Eighteen Bends of the Mountain Road". The song's lyrics were taken from the poem "Songs and Roads of the Tujia", written by lyricist Tong Wensi in his hometown of Changyang.
In the summer of 1990, Tong Wenshi went to West Hubei to pick up winds, where he enjoyed Tujia folklore performances such as the Pendulum Hand Dance, the Bashan Dance, and the Crying Marriage Song. At that time, when the car was crawling on the mountain road, he was attracted by the scenery of the Qingjiang River and the distant mountains surrounded by clouds, so he created the poem "Songs and Roads of the Tujia". The song's lyrics, on the other hand, were based on that poem and polished over three years.
In "Eighteen Bends of the Mountain Road," Li Qiong conquers the listener's ears through her high-pitched, bright, and refreshing tone and singing style. Although the song's melody is catchy, Li Qiong's version of the rendition basically relies on shouting, making it difficult to get a sense of her vocal chops and singing skills.
Baidu Encyclopedia - Eighteen Bends of the Mountain Road