KUALA LUMPUR: A video featuring a group of Indonesian students and their teacher performing a cover of a popular Chinese song, Ming Tian Hui Gen Hao (Tomorrow Will Be Better), has won praise from fans and music lovers in the region.
The video, posted on the @pancasila1972 Instagram, has over 160,700 views, making it one of the most-watched covers on their platform so far.
As the students, who are from the technical school SMK 1 Pancasila Ambulu in East Java, took turns belting out the soulful tune about hopes, netizens were left amazed by their perfect pronunciation and perfect pitch.
When it was their teacher's turn to sing, the students held their breath, anticipating the high notes that followed.
Without breaking a sweat, their teacher Atika hit the high notes effortlessly.
Netizens, who were left impressed by the teacher-student feat, left multiple comments praising the lot.
"Teacher Atika is the best. She was the one who taught us how to sing previously," commented @a_irwan22, a former student.
Another former student, @yulianacathrine, wrote that Atika was one of the best teachers at the school.
"Teacher Atika was my Mandarin teacher. She is very patient with her students, and we love attending her classes," she wrote.
Another user, @i_cant_decide_yet, said she felt touched by the song and the students' effort. "This is very touching. I cried watching this," the comment read.
Others, like @vikaangela, who is of Chinese descent, felt ashamed for not being able to speak the language, let alone sing. "I feel ashamed watching this because I can't speak Mandarin, and here, they're doing it so effortlessly. This is great!" she commented.
With such a good cover, it's no surprise that many people like @hermawan_sembiring hope for more Mandarin covers in the future. "Their vocals complimented each other, and I hope there will be duets in the future, too," he wrote.
Recorded and released in 1985, 60 artistes from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore formed an ensemble to take turns singing the song. A song of love and hope, it has since become a familiar anthem during hardships such as the Covid-19 pandemic.