Students sing the Young Pioneers of China theme song at the sharing conference in Tongzhou district on Oct 13. [Photo/ntjoy.com]

A sharing conference of the 9th Ballad Competition in Tongzhou district, Nantong, a county-level city in Jiangsu province, was held on Oct 13 in honor of the anniversary of the Young Pioneers of China.

More than 70,000 ballads have been collected for the competition since January. They are themed around the new era, new youth, and new ballads. 

One hundred ballads were selected for both the student category and the adult category, and 14 were named "best campus songs". Several teachers and schools were honored with awards during the event.

The conference showcased award-winning ballads related to the prosperity of China, new homes, happy lives, and active teenagers through videos, songs, and dances.

"I keep writing nursery rhymes and poems for children and have produced over 1,000 works. I enjoy moments with children and get inspired by them," said Wei Zong, a rural teacher in Tianshui, Gansu province, who won first place in the adult category.

Yi Yichen, a student at the primary school attached to Hunan Vocational College for Nationalities, won first place in the student category.

The competition started in 2006 in Tongzhou district and has since been held nine times. The ballads showcased at this year's event were of higher quality and had more extensive themes than the previous events. The number of works included in the event also increased by nearly 30,000.

The collection of ballads gathered for the event has been published, and audio files of the "best campus songs" are available online. New media platforms are also helping give the ballads more exposure.

Live performances given during the event will be broadcast on television in mid or late October.