Tuning into tradition

Besides the erhu, guzheng and pipa, the videos also feature some rarely seen traditional instruments, such as xun. This is a type of wind instrument and one of the oldest musical instruments discovered in China, with a history stretching back more than 7,000 years. And the video also features ruan, a plucked stringed instrument dating back to the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC).

They performed as ensembles and covered pop songs, such as Mohe Ballroom, originally performed and written by singersongwriter Liu Shuang; Somewhere in Time, originally written and performed by Accusefive, a pop-rock band from Taiwan; and Dao Xiang (Fragrant Rice), originally performed and written by Taiwan pop star Jay Chou.

The videos struck a chord with music lovers, especially young people, with 60 million views.

"The music is so cool. You successfully changed my impression about traditional Chinese music," comments one viewer on video-sharing platform Bilibili. "I want to learn to play those instruments myself."

Besides domestic social media, Crazy Folk videos have also been uploaded to overseas platforms, such as YouTube.

"I know I am late to the party but wow, this is amazing! Simply beautiful. I love how the instruments are blended together," comments one YouTube viewer.

That is the exact feedback that the players were hoping to get from the audience, according to Li Haoyan, one of the team members behind the Crazy Folk videos.