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Folksongs |
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Folksongs |
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The landscape of the northern part of Shaanxi province (Shaanbei) is made up of brown and barren hills, cut through by the winding, muddy Yellow River. Once the heart of Chinese civilization, thousands of years of intensive farming and harsh climatic changes made this region one of the poorest in modern China.
The folk songs of the Shaanbei people reflected the hardships of life in this difficult land. The Chinese Communist Party found Shaanbei songs particularly appealing because they seemed to embody all the sorrows and hopes of China's peasantry - and the pure simplicity of peasant life. But since many of the Shaanbei folk songs were neither pure nor simple, the CCP added new lyrics to reflect the Party's political aims. With these new lyrics, the infectious tunes of Shaanbei folk songs have helped the CCP inspire the Red Army and perpetuate the Party's image as champion of the poor for decades. The PLA continues to emphasize its historical connection to the peasantry by regularly performing Shaanbei folksongs on radio and television programs - programs that increased in frequency after the events of June 4th, 1989. This website illustrates some of the characteristics of Shaanbei folksongs before and after they were claimed by the CCP.
Shaanbei folk songs are sung--almost shouted -- in a distinctive nasal tone designed to carry long distances across hills and valleys. To express his or her emotions, the singer adds numerous turns and vocal embellishments to the basic melody. Additional syllables are also added to the lyrics, much in the same way English-language folk songs use "yeah" and "oh". The following example shows how this virtuoso singing technique poignantly expresses the loneliness and longing of a traveller separated from his loved one.
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Many Shaanbei songs tell a story of young lovers - of men who miss their brides, of women's pride in their young men's strength and looks. In these love songs, men are affectionately called Gege (Elder Brother), women Meimei (Younger Sister). The following song is sung by a young man who sees (or imagines he sees) the object of his affections working in the fields on a far-away hilltop. Although this version is "artistically" rearranged for a contemporary audience, one can still imagine how this song was sung by shepards or field workers laboring in the vast expanses of the Shaanbei hills.
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Some Shaanbei songs were sung simply for the pleasure of singing, with nonsense lyrics designed to make people laugh - and melodies designed to show off the vocal skills of the singer:
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(verse 1) Da hong tuir gongji mao
tui'er tui Chorus (verse 2) Liang mi zi'er xi zhou ao
bai cai [Chorus:] Man tian di xingxing yi keke
ming |
(verse 1) The big red rooster, with
feath'ry legs ( verse 2) [Chorus] (verse 3) Whole sky's filled with
bright bright stars |
The "reformed" Shaanbei folk songs maintained many of their distinctive elements, but the lyrics carried a different message, as illustrated by the two songs below:
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Qing (linglingling) di he
lai Qing (linglingling) di he
lai |
Clear (ling etc.) the river
flows! Clear (ling etc.) the river
flows! |
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Zheng yue zheli lai shi xin
chun San yue zheli lai tao hua'er
hong Wuyue zheli la shiliu hua'er
hong Shiyue zheli lai xiao yang
chun Jiemei shuangshuang dang
mofan |
Around here, New Year's
comes in the first lunar month Around here, peach blossoms
bloom in the third lunar month.. Around here, pomegranates
bloom in the fifth lunar month, Around here Indian Summer
comes in the tenth lunar month |