Tongchengge
01 · Historical Records
Tongcheng songs are a local song tune originating in Tongcheng city, Anhui, a verse form collectively created by the working people. The Ming-dynasty Tongcheng popular songs (love songs) circulated in the Huangmei area of Hubei and the Wu-dialect areas of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, noted for their distinctive seven-character five-line form, restrained and concise language and beautiful and pleasing tune, widely sung in the places where they were current and even printed in volumes. Tongcheng songs have a long history; Tongcheng popular songs were already current in the Ming and spread to the surrounding areas with migration and trade. They are noted for the distinctive seven-character five-line form.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Tongcheng songs are the main folk songs of the period when Anhui ballads flourished; their influence reached the several provinces of Hunan, Hubei and Jiangxi and the western Zhejiang area, and they positively promoted the formation and development of Huangmei opera. Noted for the seven-character five-line form, restrained and concise in language and beautiful and pleasing in tune, they were widely sung where they circulated and even printed in volumes. Tongcheng songs have wide subjects, including love songs and also labour songs, songs of life and ritual songs, reflecting the life and feelings of the people of the Jianghuai area.
The Tea-Picking Song
One of the representative pieces of Tongcheng songs.
Stealing Flowers in the Twelfth Month
One of the representative pieces of Tongcheng songs.
The Seven-Character Five-Line Form
The distinctive song form of Tongcheng songs.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Tongcheng songs are a cultural phenomenon deserving attention in the history of the development of Chinese ballads; their song form and artistic style have a distinctive local character. Closely bound up with the social life and folk customs of Tongcheng, they are important material for studying the folk songs of the Jianghuai area and regional culture.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
At present Tongcheng still has many original-ecological ballad materials awaiting excavation, and not a few Tongcheng song tunes and chanting performance forms on the verge of being lost need timely salvage and protection. Protecting and transmitting Tongcheng songs has positive significance for studying the evolution of Anhui folk songs and the formation of Huangmei opera.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Chayuehua 05-2009
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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