Halin is flying high

Known as the "Mongolia Enya" and a real-life princess, the singer is about to make her debut on the Beijing stage. Chen Nan reports.

Singer Halin recalls a spring day school outing when she was 6 in her hometown of Ejina, in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. A nomad passed by, bowed and addressed her as "dear princess" -startling her classmates. She is from one of the four major subgroups of the Four Qirats of Mongolia, and her mother's father was prince of the 13th generation of the Torghut clan.

The clan moved west to Volga in 1630 after the Four Qirat Alliance collapsed and returned to Mongolia in 1771.

The group of about 300,000 people and 6 million animals suffered from raids and starvation, and was reduced to just 85,000 survivors after eight months, before settling near the Ejin River.

"I have been called 'princess' since I was born," says Halin, whose name in Mongolian means "flying high".

"My mother told me never to forget my identity. It's my faith," the 27-year-old, who now lives in Beijing, says.

"I grew up with the family legends and received a lot of respect because of my blood line. Though the times have changed and we live ordinary lives now, the spirit of our family still remains."