Ya Folk Songs
01 · Historical Records
When Buddhism entered Hainan in the Tang dynasty, the earliest Dayun temple was built at present-day Yacheng town in Sanya city, the ancient Yazhou, and the sighing tune of the Ya folk songs comes from the “vegetarian song”, which must have some connection with the chanting and intoning in the temple.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The Ya folk songs are one of the ancient song kinds of Hainan folk song. From the archaeological results at the Luobidong palaeo-human site in Sanya city it is known that “Sanya people” were living here ten thousand years ago. The Ya folk songs show clear traces of the influence of Buddhist “vegetarian songs” and the Tang poetic form. Their subject matter is wide and their content rich, the lyrics mostly in seven-character lines, touching on every field from humanistic history and scenery to productive labour and social life. No fewer than a hundred long narrative poems have been discovered, and they are the treasure of the Ya folk songs. The tunes of the Ya folk songs are fine and pleasing, including the work chantey, the hawker's cry, the loud-pull tune, the tender tune, the sighing tune and the humming tune. Common pieces include Ten Partings from My Lover, The Song of Liang Sheng, The Song of Zhang Sheng, Meng Lijun and Dwelling in the Spring Garden. Divided by occasion and function the Ya folk songs may again be divided into work chanteys, hawkers' cries, wedding songs, funeral songs and children's songs, sung mostly in the towns and villages of the Sanya and Huangliu area. Their lyrics are mainly in seven-character lines, and the long narrative songs are often sung over several nights, becoming the main way for local people to gather in the evening and amuse themselves at festivals.
Ten Partings from My Lover
One of the common pieces of the Ya folk songs.
The Song of Liang Sheng
One of the common pieces of the Ya folk songs.
The Song of Zhang Sheng
One of the common pieces of the Ya folk songs.
Meng Lijun
One of the common pieces of the Ya folk songs.
Dwelling in the Spring Garden
One of the common pieces of the Ya folk songs.
The Work Chantey, the Hawker's Cry and the Loud-Pull Tune
The tune categories of the Ya folk songs divided by occasion and function.
The Tender Tune, the Sighing Tune and the Humming Tune
The lyrical and sighing categories of tune in the Ya folk songs.
The Long Narrative Poems of the Ya Folk Songs (No Fewer Than a Hundred)
The long narrative poems, no fewer than a hundred of which have been discovered, the treasure of the Ya folk songs.
The Temple “Vegetarian Songs” and the Origin of the Sighing Tune
The relation between the chanting and intoning at the Dayun temple after Buddhism entered Hainan in the Tang and the sighing tune of the Ya folk songs.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
In the fifth year of the Kaibao reign of Emperor Taizu of Song, 972, Yazhou was established, its seat set at present-day Yacheng town in Sanya city, governing the two counties of Ningyuan and Jiyang, present-day Sanya and the Huangliu area. The folk songs produced and circulating in this area are collectively called the Ya folk songs. They circulate mainly in the Yacheng, Baoping and Huangliu areas of Sanya city in Hainan and the surrounding Ledong areas, and spread with the migrants of southern Qiong to the coastal areas of south-western Hainan island.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Ya Folk Songs.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
The Ya folk songs are loved by the masses and are important spiritual nourishment for them; for a long time they have been transmitted by word of mouth and personal instruction, but under the impact of the tide of modernization this folk music finds it hard to contend with the surging popular music, and if it is not saved and protected in time it will disappear with the departure of its bearers. The lyrics of the Ya folk songs also preserve a great many ancient dialect words and folk-custom phenomena, of reference value for the study of Hainan's history and culture, the Minnan dialect and folk belief. In recent years the local cultural departments have carried out protection by means of general surveys and recording, sorting and publishing song collections and teaching in the schools, so that this ancient song kind may be continued.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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