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Zhejiang Ballads
2006-7-4 11:34:20
   Documents on Zhejiang ballads in pre-Qin period (before 221 B.C. when Qinshihuang, the first Emperor of Qin united China) are scarce. We can only refer to those fragmentary records like Zuo Tan Ge (Singing While Plucking) in History of Wu and Yue States written by Zhao Ye of the Eastern Han Dynasty (A. D. 25-220), and Yue Ren Yong Ji Ge (Songs of Oars in Yue) in Shuo Yuan (Garden of Persuasion) written by Liu Xiang of the Western Han Dynasty (206 B. C.-A. D. 25).
   During the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties (220-589), the songs in Wu dialects began to spring up in the south of Jiangsu and north of Zhejiang. The General Anthology of Yuefu Poems, compiled by Guo Maoqian of the Song Dynasty, listed two kinds of authentic songs in Wu dialect: Qian Xi Qu (Front Stream Tunes) and A Zi Ge. Qian Xi, now called Yuying Stream, is located to the south of Wukang Town of Deqing County, Zhejiang. In the Southern Dynasties, some workshops in the area, which taught singing and dancing, were named after the stream. According to Deqing County Annals written during Emperor Kang Xi's Reign, there were Qian Xi (Front Stream) Workshop and Hou Xi (Back Stream) Workshop in the south of the county. It was the home to many famous performers of the Southern Dynasties. The number of workshops reached several hundred in the Tang Dynasty. Cui Hao of the Tang Dynasty wrote in his poem, "I love the wonderful Qian Xi dancing and singing whole night long, hoping the dawn never to come." From these, it can be concluded that the Qian Xi Qu was probably the folk songs and tunes spreading in this area.
    In the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420) and the Southern Dynasties, Zhejiang ballads developed quickly in the south of Qiantang River. According to Life of Xun Li¡ªHistory of the Southern Dynasties , one was sure to find singing and dancing in every county with more than one hundred households and in every city with fairs. Tai Ping Yu Lan (Imperial Review) cited from Pei Ziye's Song Lue (Outline of Song Dynasty) a similar description that singers and dancers crowded the mansion of every nobility and rich merchant. The eastern Zhejiang was no exception with nobilities indulged in the beautiful sceneries and feasts with singings and dancing. Zuo Si of the Western Jin Dynasty compared the ballads of Wu and Yue States in his work To the Capital of Wu, so did Geng Xin of the Northern Dynasties (386-581) in his Mourn for the South Yangtze. This mentioning in the same breath of Wu and Yue ballads indicated that the two enjoyed equal popularity in eastern and western Zhejiang. In the coastal areas like Shaoxing, Ningbo, Wenzhou and Yuhang, many pieces of celadon burial furnishings of the Jin Dynasty were unearthed, on which there were figures of people beating drums, playing instruments, dancing and performing vaudeville. They indirectly reflected the musical world of the time. Moreover, the figures were all foreigners with Roman noses, sunken eyes, and dressed in Hu costumes and accessories. This showed that the powerful Hu (the non-Han nationalities living in the north and west of China in ancient times) brought with them the culture of the Middle Plain and of the Western Regions as they moved southward.
image A set of five small gongs
     After the Sui (581-618) and Tang dynasties, Zhejiang was of more and more importance as China¡¯s economic and cultural centers gradually moved southward. Hangzhou was chosen capital for both Wuyue State of the Five Dynasties (907-960) and the Southern Song Dynasty. Especially the Southern Song's regime resided in Hangzhou for more than 140 years, making the beautiful city the political, economic and cultural center of the country, and a city of top military importance in southeast China.
     The thriving economy and culture of the city accelerated the development of the folk music culture. One of the characteristics of city music culture of the time was the Qu Zi Ci, which began in the Tang Dynasty and popularized in the Song Dynasty. It was a quite novel form of folk songs in cities. As scholars and poets emulatively composed lyrics to the tunes for singers, they left behind in Zhejiang a rich heritage of masterpieces. For instance, Bai Juyi of the Tang Dynasty recalled Hangzhou as the most memorable place in the South Yangtze, while Su Dongpo of the Song Dynasty compared the West Lake in Hangzhou to Xi Zi (a well known beauty in the ancient times), who is always lovely adorned whether using heavy makeup or not. The "Most Popular Poet" Liu Yong used to sing his paean here to the sweet-scented osmanthus in autumn and the innumerable acreage of lotus flowers in summer while the Solitary Hill hermit Lin Bu, who took plum flower as his wife and crane as his son, was lost in the reflection of the sparse plum branches in the shallow limpid pond and the flowers' faint sweet scent in the dim moon light. During her sanctuary stay in Wuzhou (the present Jinhua), the woman poet Li Qingzhao, reached the peak of poetic perfection in mourning for her vain search, her loneliness. And the patriotic poet Lu You, left us his famous apothegm in his stay in Shangyin (the present Shaoxing): Never lose heart when lost, because another village will appear from behind the cascades of willows and flowers. Other musical temperament masters like Zhou Bangyan, Zhang Xian, Jiang Kui and Zhang Yan used to live in Zhejiang for a long time. Bai Juyi of the Tang Dynasty and Su Dongpo of the Northern Song Dynasty, in particular, were the chief magistrates of Hangzhou. Their activities gave a positive push to the development of the folk music culture of Hangzhou and Zhejiang. According to The West Lake Sightseeing Annal by Tian Rucheng of the Ming Dynasty, Bai Juyi, in his post as the prefect of Hangzhou, enjoyed himself freely among the mountains, the lake and the flowery poems. So was Su Dongpo. Su claimed to be the only one after Bai who had enjoyed the beautiful scenery to the full. Objectively speaking, their enjoyable reign did spark the relative cultural development. In the mean time, they spread consciously the knowledge of music and literature, as Bai Juyi wrote in his poem Farewell to the Studio in the County: nothing could help change the  custom than to teach people understand poetry.
image At Cao's place in Jinhua, a folk bank is playing Hua Tou Tai.
    On one hand, the scholars sucked in nourishments from the folk songs as they participated in the creation period and the performance. On the other hand, they helped popularize and develop folk music culture far and wide. In addition, Lin'an in the Southern Song Dynasty (the present Hangzhou) produced a kind of "Xiao Ci (mini-Ci, classical poetry conforming to a definite pattern)". According to Meng Liang Lu, a team of three to five performers would sing Xiao Ci along the streets while one or two young girls dancing and twisting on their heads, shoulders or their stretching arms. And The Past Stories of Wulin brought to notice the girls in restaurants, who would come voluntarily and sing for tips. These drifting performers sang in the tea houses, restaurants or along the streets instead of Gou Lan and the training workshops. They sang to the common passersby instead of the nobilities. As a result, the Xiao Ci they sang was not as delicate and elegant as Qu Zi Diao and Zhu Gong Diao. Instead, it was a kind of more exoteric songs with popular lyrics and tunes which better suited lower class people. Some tunes of Xiao Ci were probably the offhand works upon their familiar tunes in life. As Ment Liang Lu put it, the songs were actually imitations of the voices in the capital or in the fair, say, peddlers' shouting, added the five-tone scaled music.
image In Jiushao Hall of Fenghua, a folk band is playing General Returns After Victory.
     What's more, another two kinds of ballads, Deng Diao (lantern tunes) and Lian Hua (Lotus Flower) also prevailed Zhejiang in the Tang and Song Dynasties. According to The West Lake Sightseeing Annal, the Lantern Festival in Hangzhou was a grand occasion ever since the Tang Dynasty. This could be proved by Bai Juyi's poem: lamplight lit up every fair and every household flows with songs and music. Ou Yangxiu of the Song Dynasty also wrote in his poem: Last Lantern Festival, lamplights made a day on the flower market. According to Hangzhou Prefecture Annal, about five days around the Lantern Festival, the whole city was decorated with lanterns and colorful silk streamers. It seemed like spring had come and all flowers blossomed. Drum beats and music were sonorous all day long. Dozens of folk dancing teams came out in the dusk and jostled each other in the long line. Their programs included: Male and Female Pestle Songs, Celebrate the Harvest, the Joy on the Field, Rowing on Dry land, Bamboo Horses, etc. As was suggested by the names of these programs, many dancing teams came from the outskirts of towns and cities. Customs in Zhejiang cited one Zhu Zhi (bamboo branch) Ci: Snowflakes filled the sky with the deafening firecrackers; country songs and dances were better than all the instruments; fully loaded with cakes and dumplings, poor men were grateful to Taiping Heavenly Troupe. Beginning from the New Moon, one beggar covered his head with ragged bags and turned himself into a fine cow. Another beggar led the "cow" with a straw rope and a groom, sang auspicious wishes in Lian Hua Luo to beg for foods. This showed that Lian Hua Luo of Zhejiang was popular not only in cities and towns, but also in the vast rural areas.
     In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Zhejiang pop tunes and songs reached their peak. The most popular pieces include: Nao Wu Geng, Ji Sheng Cao, Luo Jiang Yuan, Yu He Ye, etc. Most of these programs could be found the Sequel of Ni Shang compiled in 1795 and Tracing Sound of the White Snow compiled in the early 19th century.
image Hangzhou "South Yangtze String And Pipe Ensemble" Research Society is playing San Liu (three and six).
    After the liberation in 1949, the music staff in Zhejiang collected more than three thousand songs, and compiled from them A Selection of Zhejiang Ballads, A Selection of Zhejiang New Ballads in Thirty Years and The Collection of Chinese Ballads-Zhejiang Volume. The rich valuable heritage laid a solid foundation for artistic works. In 1966 when the National Amateur Writer's Song Contest was held, the local born songs The Mini Mat Roofed Boat and Tea Please won second prizes. A Beautiful Heart became the "best song" of 1979's National Songs For The Mass. Rains On Spring River, Everyone Loves West Lake, and Dragon Well Tea with Tiger Spring Water were taken into The Complete Collection of Chinese New Literature - Music. The three songs, 56 Strings Joining Beijing, Spring Out By West Lake and Autumn In The Seaside, won "Five Top Project Award" issued by the Propaganda Department of the CPC Central Committee in 1997, 1999 and 2001 respectively. Especially in 1984, Zhang Jianyi from Hangzhou Singing and Dancing Troupe participated in the Third Vienna International Opera Contest. For his mellow and full voice, his orthodox Italian bel canto and his natural affective performance, he became the top of the 247 selected singers from all countries and won the "Special Award" issued by The World Of Operas. At the same time when he was giving performance in Budapest, he was honored as the best performer and got the "Hundred Flowers Award".
image The folk artist of Shenze, Pan'an county is playing Si Chui (four blowings) in his special costume.
    During the fifty years after the liberation, Zhejiang has produced many new ballads not only for professional performances, but also for mass musical activities. In the fifties, a singing sodality was set up in Hangzhou. The province held in succession the 1st and 2nd Provincial Folk Music and Dance Performance for people to view and emulate, and also sent some representative teams for the National Music Week. In the early sixties, Zhejiang repeatedly held the Provincial Amateur's Song-writing Contest, New Song Competition and various performances, and collected extensively ballads from all parts of the province. Since the eighties, Zhejiang mass musical activities of modern times became more regular, as was shown in the 3rd Zhejiang Mass Vocal Music Contest, the 4th Zhejiang Music and Dance Festival, Song-writing Contest based on the theme of "Love China, Love Zhejiang", "Songs of the Enterprises" Singing Contest, Zhejiang Art Festival, Singing Contests of Singers from the Three Rivers, and various concerts like "Spring of West Lake" "Spring of the Deer City" "Spring of the Southern Lake". The Provincial School Singing Contest, Ningbo "Chorus Festival" and the Provincial Rural Singers' Contest held from the nineties further boost the musical appreciation level of the people. It was also in these activities that lots of talented singers like Shen Shaoquan and Hu Xiao'e were discovered and cultivated.
image TGongs Bay
    As far as style is concerned, Zhejiang ballads fall into the following six general categories.
     Hao Zi (song sung at work to synchronize movement, with one person leading): refers mainly to the work songs when laboring. The musical temperament and rhythm work closely into the pace of labor, making the hard work full of fun. Due to the complicated geographic features, people's way of living are different, hence the great variety of Hao Zi. For example, there are Hao Zi of the fishing population alongside the sea and on the island, Hao Zi at waterwheels on the northern plains, quarry Hao Zi in the southern mountains, boat towing Hao Zi in the watery regions, cormorant Hao Zi on rivers and Porter's Haozi at the docks, etc. Among them, the most flavored ones are Fishermen's Hao Zi around Zhoushan Isles and the Sea Embankment Hao Zi in Hanyan County north of Hangzhou Bay.
     Shan Ge (ballads sung in the fields or mountains): refers mainly to the songs sung when the rural people are working in the fields, or rowing in the rivers, or resting in the shed to enjoy themselves and divert themselves from boredom. Shan Ge has stretching tunes and relatively free rhythm. Zhejiang Shan Ge can be classified into the ones on the plains around Hangzhou, Jiaxing and Huzhou, and the ones in the hills and mountains. The plain north to Qiantang River occupies only nine percent of the total area of Zhejiang Province, while the rest, including the vast hills and small pieces of coastal plains (Ningbo and Shaoxing plain, Wenzhou and Taizhou plain, for example), takes up 91 percent. Shan Ge on the northern plain, called Wu Ge (Songs of Wu) by both ancient and contemporary scholars, has the fundamental tune "Di Luo Sheng", from which evolved into seven different tunes: Di Luo Sheng, Luo Yang Ge, Dai Tou Ge, Yang Sao Tou, Hai Luo Diao, Ji Ji Ge and Ping Diao. They are independent of each other, but have a general name "Jiashan Tian Ge (songs of the field)", which is known as an outstanding breed of Wu Ge.
image A folk band of Shenxian County is playing Summer Rain.
  Xiao Diao (ditty): refers mainly to the popular songs and ditties in the city and countryside. Xiao Diao used to prevail in Zhejiang as the term "South Yangtze Xiao Diao" and "Jiangsu and Zhejiang Xiao Diao" both refer to popular songs and ditties in Suzhou and Hangzhou, heart of Wu-dialect speaking regions. Since Xiao Diao is melodious and pleasant to the ear, people easily accept it. They express their feelings by working features of the time into lyrics of Xiao Diao. There are altogether more than 20 fundamental tunes of today's Xiao Diao in Zhejiang, such as Meng Jiang Nv, Wu Geng Diao and Wu Xi Jing.
     Deng Diao (lantern songs) and Lian Hua (lotus flower): refers mainly to the folk singing and dancing music on festivals. On lantern festivals, lanterns of different kinds contends for the most beautiful and most popular one. Some lantern players dance while singing, while others use musical instruments instead of voices. However, songs always accompany the Tea Lantern, Flower Lantern, Horse Lantern and so on. Deng Diao does not have a uniform tune of the province. Most of them work on their own local tunes. Among the most popular ones are the Tea Lantern song Picking Tea Leaves and a Flower Lantern song Plum Flower Blossom. And the one that has the most distinct local flavor is Ningbo's Song of the Horse Lantern.
image The folk artists in Gao's Troupe of Dinghai are playing Zhoushan Gongs And Drums.
  "Lian Hua" is named after the patterned back vocals "Lian Hua Lian Hua Lao" in the latter part of the tune. The monk Pu Ji of the Song Dynasty said in his book Five Lantern's Meet that Lian Hua Lao was an age-old song of the beggars." Lian Hua got popularized in Zhejiang with its two forms: the major one and the minor one. It can also be classified into two categories according to its themes: the traditional one with the relatively stable form and content, and the improvisational ones full of humorous and vivid auspicious wishes.
     Yi Shi Ge (rite songs): refers to folk songs sung on particular ceremonial occasions. It has three major kinds: wedding songs, silkworm-raising songs and sacrificial songs. Representatives of wedding songs are Congratulations to the Groom of Zhoushan Isles and Lang Liu Yuan of the northern plain. The most distinctive one of Zhejiang is the silkworm-raising songs, which prevails especially in the northern plain around Hangzhou, Jiaxing and Huzhou.
image Playing gongs