Wang Yongmao
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Wang Yongmao, Male, Han, from Hequ, Shanxi, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Hequ Folk Songs (Ⅱ-2). The tradition is documented in Hequ, Shanxi. Within the regional tradition and school record of Hequ Folk Songs in Hequ, Shanxi: This special humanistic and geographical environment produced the way of life and production of “going beyond the western pass”, in which the local people went each spring and returned each winter to the Daqing mountains and the Hetao area of Inner Mongolia as short-term or long-term hired labourers. Out of this life of parting from wife and children year after year arose naturally the “going beyond the western pass” folk songs lamenting human parting, the sorrow of separation, longing and hope, called by the locals “shanqu”. The shanqu belongs to the mountain-song genre; when it was formed is not yet determined, but the “errentai” formed on the basis of the shanqu is believed to have a history of about two hundred years. The local gazetteers record that in the Ming dynasty Hequ had “households with string and song, a new governance score, children, women and old men all singing”, which shows how far back the singing tradition goes.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Wang Yongmao is anchored in the documented technical standards of Hequ Folk Songs in Hequ, Shanxi. Within the documented technical tradition of Hequ Folk Songs in Hequ, Shanxi: Hequ lies in the north-west of Shanxi, bordered on the east by Pianguan and Wuzhai and on the south by Kelan and Baode, and facing Shaanxi and Inner Mongolia across the Yellow River to the west and north—a special area where “one cock crows over three provinces”. Because it lies in a bend of the Yellow River, Hequ has historically been cut off by poor communications, its land barren and its droughts and floods unpredictable, so the common people suffered greatly. The shanqu lyrics are profound in content and its tunes rich. In the structure of words and music they adopt the upper-and-lower line form, the upper line opening with an evocation and the lower line expressing feeling, so that often a single pair of lines reveals a profound emotional state or depicts a lifelike picture of life—such lines as “the mountain is here, the water is here, the stones are here, but you are not” and “hearing my brother sing up, I throw my hot body on the cold windowsill” are typical examples. The tunes of the shanqu use two-phrase forms of juxtaposition, response and contrast, containing a rich aesthetic meaning. They are also typical in reflecting the history of folk-song development and the conditions of folk social life. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "The “Going Beyond the Western Pass” Folk Songs": Shanqu arising naturally from the life of going to Inner Mongolia as hired labour each spring and returning each winter, lamenting parting, separation, longing and hope. "Hequ Errentai": A local performance form formed on the basis of the shanqu and with a history of about two hundred years. "The Upper-and-Lower Line Form and the Juxtaposing, Responding Tunes": The word-and-music structure in which the upper line evokes and the lower line expresses feeling, and the two-phrase tunes of juxtaposition, response and contrast. "Masterpieces such as Three Days' Journey Done in Two": The pieces recorded in 1953 with excellent words and music, such as Three Days' Journey Done in Two, You Are Not Here Though Everyone Else Is and Cutting the Naked Oats.
The “Going Beyond the Western Pass” Folk Songs
Shanqu arising naturally from the life of going to Inner Mongolia as hired labour each spring and returning each winter, lamenting parting, separation, longing and hope.
Hequ Errentai
A local performance form formed on the basis of the shanqu and with a history of about two hundred years.
The Upper-and-Lower Line Form and the Juxtaposing, Responding Tunes
The word-and-music structure in which the upper line evokes and the lower line expresses feeling, and the two-phrase tunes of juxtaposition, response and contrast.
Masterpieces such as Three Days' Journey Done in Two
The pieces recorded in 1953 with excellent words and music, such as Three Days' Journey Done in Two, You Are Not Here Though Everyone Else Is and Cutting the Naked Oats.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Wang Yongmao was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Hequ Folk Songs, with Hequ, Shanxi as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Hequ Folk Songs in Hequ, Shanxi: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2006 (batch 1), with Hequ, Shanxi as its declared area, and Hequ County Xuan ChuanShiWu Center as its safeguarding unit. Since the project was inscribed in the national inventory, its declared area and safeguarding unit have carried out documentation, transmission and presentation within the national safeguarding framework. Together, the inventory record and the project archive form the public documentary basis for the bearer’s transmission practice.
04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier
Historical origin
The shanqu belongs to the mountain-song genre; when it was formed is not yet determined, but the “errentai” formed on the basis of the shanqu is believed to have a history of about two hundred years. The local gazetteers record that in the Ming dynasty Hequ had “households with string and song, a new governance score, children, women and old men all singing”, which shows how far back the singing tradition goes.
05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage
National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.
| Bearer | Declared area | Roster code | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xin Lisheng | Hequ, Shanxi | 02-0227 | Same declared area |
| Lvguiying | Hequ, Shanxi | 02-0228 | Same declared area |
| Han Yunde | Hequ, Shanxi | 03-0804 | Same declared area |
| Wang Yongmao | Hequ, Shanxi | — | This page |
06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography
This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript. Compiled from official national representative bearer archival records and the associated project dossier, organized by topic and translated into English. 阅读中文版。