Music on the Silk Road| Wisdom of agriculture hidden in Yunnan folk songs
Yunnan is a land bearing ancient civilization. For centuries, people here have used music to convey mutual admiration between lovers, to fuel the passion for labor, to express the joy of bountiful harvests, and to engage in rituals, blessings, and prayers. This has destined Yunnan's music to be more like a historical record of human’s production life.
The Hani Four Seasons Agricultural Chants is a type of polyphonic folk song among the Hani people, which has been passed down in the Honghe Hani and Yi autonomous prefecture in Yunnan province. It is documents and imparts the seasonal rhythms and agricultural techniques of Yuanyang's terraced fields.
Hani polyphonic folk songs （Photo provided to Yunnan Net）
In 2006, Hani polyphonic folk songs were included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage lists. In 2015, a primeval song and dance production named Hani Ancient Songs, based on national-level intangible cultural heritage elements like the Hani Four Seasons Agricultural Chants and Hani Haba, captivated audiences at the World Exposition in Milan of Italy, with over 1,000 performances in six months, attracting more than a million spectators.
Hani Ancient Songs was performed in Beijing in 2019, showcasing the charm of thousand-year-old Hani melodies to audiences at home and abroad.
The Golden and Silver Birds Fly High（Photo provided to Yunnan Net）
At the opening ceremony of Phase 2 of COP15 in Montreal of Canada, songs like the Golden and Silver Birds Fly High, performed by the Haicaiqiang singers from Shiping county of Honghe Hani and Yi autonomous prefecture in Yunnan province, were so stunning.
The Funing Poya Chorus（Photo by Yunnan Net）
The Funing Poya Chorus from Wenshan Zhuang and Miao autonomous prefecture in Yunnan was performed at the National Centre for the Performing Arts on the August Chorus Festival in 2023. And The Lijiang Naxi ancient music orchestra was invited to perform in the United Kingdom.
During a survey of the Zhuang cultural resources in Funing county, a historic songbook was discovered in Poya village in 2006. It was recorded in primitive symbols on cloth and is known as the Chinese Funing Pozai Songbook.
This unique document comprises 81 symbols, making it the only record of Chinese folk songs using pictographic writing. These symbols represent various elements like the moon, trees, rice grains, plows, and birds, and together, they narrate the love story of a young Zhuang couple. In 2011, the Poya Love Songs were included in the third batch of national-level intangible cultural heritage lists.
The Naxi Ancient Music（Photo provided to Yunnan Net）
The Naxi Ancient Music, often referred to as fossil of music, is a multifaceted artistic creation. It consists of Baisha Xiyue, Dongjing Music, and Huangjing Music. However, Huangjing Music is now lost to history. This classical music is widely disseminated within Naxi society and represents the harmonious synthesis of diverse cultural influences.
Source: Yunnan Net; trans-editing by Wang Yunya