Cecilia Martinez (1st R), official from the UN-HABITAT, presents young singers of the Quintessenso Hulun Buir Children's Choir with their awards at the United Nations headquarters in New York, the United States, on Jan. 25, 2012. The Quintessenso Hulun Buir Children's Choir was awarded the prize named 'Caring Citizens of the Humanities: Music and Development' on Wednesday night by UN-HABITAT. (Xinhua/Sheng Hong)

Young singers from the Quintessenso Hulun Buir Children's Choir perform at the United Nations headquarters in New York, the United States, on Jan. 25, 2012. The Quintessenso Hulun Buir Children's Choir was awarded the prize named 'Caring Citizens of the Humanities: Music and Development' on Wednesday night by UN-HABITAT. (Xinhua/Sheng Hong)

UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- A children's choir from China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region gave its first performance here Wednesday night at the UN headquarters in New York to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year.

The Quintessenco Hulan Buir Children's Choir, the first ethnic minority children's choir in China, sang several folk songs in its native language. The songs have been passed down from generation to generation on the grasslands, including Happy Little Shepherd, Hailar River, Mother in the Dream, Bonfire Dancing and others. The performance won prolonged applause from the audience.

The choir received the award "Caring Citizens of the Humanities: Music and Development" on Wednesday night from the UN Habitat and the International Council for Caring Communities out of 120 projects from 40 countries worldwide. This is the first time a Chinese project won such an award.

Li Baodong, permanent representative of China to the UN, said in his opening remark to the performance that by singing their folks songs, the children were spreading their grassland culture.

"The melodies, full of hope and dreams, bear vivid testimony to the sustainable development of their communities," Li said.

Formed in 2007, the Quintessenco Hulan Buir Children's Choir consists of children from different tribes on the Inner Mongolian grasslands. The choir currently has 40 children aged from five to 13. Two thirds come from the steppes, forest areas and farming villages.

Since its founding, the choir has performed over 100 concerts across China, and has been warmly received by general audiences and professional critics alike.

On Tuesday night, the choir debuted at New York's Lincoln Center together with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and renowned Chinese pianist Lang Lang.