JIANGZHOU drum music, a thousand-year-old art form, has had trouble finding its niche in the frenzied lifestyle of modern times, but a former ballet administrator named Quan Junmin is taking an upbeat approach to keeping the tradition alive and expanding its audience.

While many grassroots percussion troupes were folding from lack of interest, Quan decided to set up the Shanghai Oriental Jiangzhou Drum Theater in Minhang in 2006.

"It was a bold and risky decision," Quan said. "But I think it is our mission to give the traditional art a new life by introducing some changes."

Those changes include illuminated and ornamental drums, and some eye-catching costumes. The cultural splendor of the past is interwoven with the passion and fast beat of modern-day life.

"Without innovation, Jiangzhou drum will gradually fade away," Quan said, with a trace of concern crossing his face.

The Shanghai Oriental Jiangzhou Drum Theater is currently the only registered drum troupe in Shanghai. He said he decided to base the troupe here, instead of Shanxi Province where the drum has its historical roots, because Shanghai is so much larger, more urban and more cultural.

The Jiangzhou drum dates back the pre-Qin period before 221BC. It originated in Shanxi's Xinjiang County, which was known as Jiangzhou in ancient times. Quan was born there, which nurtured his interest in the drum, though he doesn't play it himself.

The drums were played during sacrificial ceremonies, weddings, festivals and temple fairs. Their resonance and spirited tunes also helped boost morale during war times. The drums enjoyed their heyday during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), only to sink into oblivion as more modern forms of art attracted the big government subsidies and a new generation of Chinese got hooked on Western culture and turned its back on the past.

Quan's challenge was to inject new life into the ancient art form.

His troupe has tried to introduce a novel concept into its performances every year. In 2008, the troupe created a new type of drum known as the crystal blue-ray drum, which is illuminated inside with blue lights.

"By embedding lights into drums, we add a splash of color to the stage and light up the whole setting," Quan said.

The troupe's latest innovation, a special source of pride for Quan, is a set of 10-plus exquisite blue-and-white porcelain drums. The design and production of the drums took more than one year, involving more than 70 procedures.

The materials used for the drums were nothing special, but their appearance is stunning on stage. The drums bear the patterns of beautiful chinaware featuring the dragon and phoenix, symbols of power and fortune, and Chinese characters such as "fu," meaning "good fortune", "lu," meaning "prosperity" and "shou," meaning "longevity."

Pine, plum, and bamboo, known in China as "the three friends of winter," also adorn the drums. More than 20 layers of paint were used to create the eye-catching effect, Quan said.

Performers of the troupe also dress in costumes bearing patterns of blue and white porcelain when they play the drums.

Despite modern innovations, the traditional flavor of the drum music is retained. The troupe has about 50 performers, with an average age of 19. All of them come from Xinjiang County and have grown up with the music.

Quan is committed to the notion that the essence of ancient art may be dressed up a bit for modern audiences but its soul should not be altered.

"A Jiangzhou drum performance is sort of a narrative that depicts the joy of people when wars are won or good harvests are brought in," he said. "We are careful to preserve that."

So far, Quan's strategy has been a successful one. The Shanghai Oriental Jiangzhou Drum Theater staged more than 200 performances at the World Expo site last year, including performances at the pavilions of United Kingdom, Singapore, Chile, Taiwan and Myanmar.

The group has also appeared in festivals throughout the Yangtze River Delta region, and at corporate and family ceremonies. On one day alone last year, it staged 30 performances.

Its reputation goes beyond local borders. In 2009, it performed at the Yilan International Rain Festival in Taiwan, and one year earlier it was honored with a slot at the Edinburgh International Festival.

"The response has been beyond our expectations," Quan said. "People have called our act 'amazing,' and I take deep personal satisfaction in its achievements."

Much of the success owes itself to the energy and drive of Quan, who sleeps but three hours every day. His mobile phone during our interview rang incessantly with callers wanting to discuss such issues as purchase of drums, passports for upcoming performances overseas and scheduling of appearances.

The troupe has become a family affair. Quan's mother manages the performers and his sister handles financial issues. Oddly enough, none of the family actually plays the drums.

However, the road to success had its share of hiccups, mostly financial. The troupe is private and receives no government arts subsidies.

"We suffered from shortage of funds for a long time, and I had to hustle for resources to finance performances," said Quan, who was once an administrative staff member of the Shanghai City Dance Co Ltd.

At the very beginning, the troupe staged only one performance a week. It was hard to make ends meet. But slowly and with great perseverance, the troupe's profile grew and its popularity increased.

The troupe now turns a profit, which is used for operating expenses and innovation. Now its major hurdle is finding a suitable rehearsal hall.

"We rehearse on the street or in a shabby two-floor warehouse, which severely impedes the troupe's development," Quan said.

He's now working on a percussion adaptation of the celebrated Beijing Opera "Farewell, My Concubine," which is based on the best-selling 1992 novel by Lillian Lee.

The performance will incorporate elements of Chinese literature and painting with a light show. Quan is hoping to find the money and the professional talent needed to stage his newest creation.