Dao Lang (刀郎 pinyin: Dāo Láng, the pseudonym of Luo Lin) is a Han Chinese singer from Sichuan (China), although it is believed that he was born and raised in Ürümqi, Xinjiang. Dao Lang's CD, 2002年的第一場雪 (The First Snows of 2002), 2002 Niande Diyi Chang Xue in pinyin, released in 2003, made him an instant star in China. He sang with Alan Tam on the debut "Can't Say Goodbye" (Cantonese: Seûdbätcöt dëk Gôwbìd, Chinese characters: 說不出的告別). His other albums include 2001's Songs from the Western Region (see the external link below). Dao Lang claims to have toured the Chinese cities of Chengdu, Chongqing, and Xi'an, as well as the autonomous region of Tibet for more than four years as a young bar-hopping musician (see external link). He has been called the "Wang Luobin of the 21st century" and has performed modern rock adaptations of several of Wang Luobin's Western China-inspired folk songs, such as "Awariguli" (supposedly a Xinjiang Uyghur folk love song), "Flowers and Youth" (pinyin: Hua'er Yu Shaonian, a Hui Muslim song), and "At a Faraway Place" (pinyin: Zai Na Yaoyuan De Difang", a song from western China's Qinghai Province). He has also performed modern adaptations of such renowned old Chinese folk songs as "The Grapes of Turpan are Ripe" (pinyin: Tulufan De Putao Shu Liao) and the famous revolutionary song "Nanniwan". Critics say that he is a typical example of a Han who stereotypes Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities that inhabit northwestern China. Some of his quotes appear to lend support to such an assertion. For example, he was once quoted as saying, "I traveled to the Gobi Desert to meet Uyghur people and study their music." In fact, the Uyghurs live primarily around Xinjiang's Taklamakan Desert, and few live in the Gobi Desert.
