Hua'er
01 · Historical Records
The Zhangjiachuan hua'er first formed in Gongmen and Malu townships of Zhangjiachuan county, Gansu, and afterwards spread to the townships of Maguan, Huchuan, Ping'an, Chuanwang and Longshan.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Hua'er is a folk-song kind distributed in the north-west of our country. Its vocal tunes are mostly in the shang and zhi modes; the common tunes are the “ai yo yo tune”, the “brother's flesh tune” and tunes formed under the influence of the local short pieces and Qin opera, such as the “winnowing oats tune” and the “helping-vocal tune”. The lyric form is a mixed-word form of unequal long and short lines, with many padding words and characters of deep meaning. The content mostly expresses love, and also praises mountains, rivers and features and presents daily life and productive labour. Traditional representative pieces include The Two-Fine Straw Hat with Double Streamers and Going Up the Ridge to Rest, sung to the “ai yo yo tune”; The Stones in the River Turn Three Times to the “brother's flesh tune”; Winnowing Oats to the “winnowing oats tune”; and The Sun Comes Up Red as Fire to the “helping-vocal tune”, as well as Thinking of You I Walked About for Two Days, The Fifth-Watch Moon, White Grapes, The Mule with the Horse's Bell and The Bee's Lament. In singing, the true and falsetto voices are used flexibly, with much ornamental vibrato and rich grace notes. The style is deeply felt, high, mournful and plaintive. This folk music flowed into Zhangjiachuan territory as early as the Song and Yuan. The Hui people of Zhangjiachuan have a relatively rich atmosphere of singing hua'er: whether in love-making, in self-amusement or in adding to the fun of a gathering, the hua'er will be sung melodiously, telling of the countless loves and sorrows of life.
The Two-Fine Straw Hat with Double Streamers
A traditional representative piece sung to the “ai yo yo tune”.
Going Up the Ridge to Rest
A traditional representative piece sung to the “ai yo yo tune”.
The Stones in the River Turn Three Times
A traditional representative piece sung to the “brother's flesh tune”.
Winnowing Oats
A traditional representative piece sung to the “winnowing oats tune”.
The Sun Comes Up Red as Fire
A traditional representative piece sung to the “helping-vocal tune”.
Thinking of You I Walked About for Two Days
A traditional representative piece of the Zhangjiachuan hua'er.
The Fifth-Watch Moon
A traditional representative piece of the Zhangjiachuan hua'er.
White Grapes
A traditional representative piece of the Zhangjiachuan hua'er.
The Mule with the Horse's Bell
A traditional representative piece of the Zhangjiachuan hua'er.
The Bee's Lament
A traditional representative piece of the Zhangjiachuan hua'er.
The “Ai Yo Yo Tune”, the “Brother's Flesh Tune” and Other Tunes
The system of common tunes, mainly in the shang and zhi modes.
The Winnowing Oats Tune and the Helping-Vocal Tune
Tunes formed under the influence of the local short pieces and Qin opera.
The Mixed-Word Lyric Form of Unequal Long and Short Lines
The lyric form with many padding words and characters of deep meaning.
Collective Transmission and the “Singers”
The local people's taking hua'er as an important way of life, production and leisure, producing generation after generation of “singers”.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The Zhangjiachuan hua'er is sung unaccompanied in the local pronunciation and tone, and may be either solo or antiphonal. In the course of historical transmission and development the local people have always taken hua'er as an important way and means of entertainment in life, production and leisure, and have produced generation after generation of “singers” deeply loved by the common people. The lyrics of the Zhangjiachuan hua'er also reflect the production techniques and way of life of this region and have a certain historical and cultural value.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Hua'er · Hua'er · Hua'er · Hua'er · Hua'er · Hua'er · Hua'er · Hua'er · Hua'er · Hua'er.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
After a hundred years of transmission and development, hua'er is distributed in most of the county's townships. Its transmission is collective, and the local people sing hua'er in love-making, in self-amusement and in adding to the fun of gatherings. The Zhangjiachuan hua'er has become an important part of the local people's cultural life and is one of the important representatives of Hui folk music.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Ma Jinshan 02-0241
- Ma Delin 02-0242
- Ma Mingshan 02-0243
- Zhao Cunlu 02-0244
- Zhang Yingzhi 02-0245
- Wang Cunfu 02-0246
- Ma Shenglin 02-0247
- Wang Lianlian 03-0819
- Liu Guocheng 03-0820
- Zhang Mingxing 03-0821
- Han Shengyuan 03-0822
- Su Ping 05-2040
- Li Guiying 05-2041
- Wang Deqin 05-2042
- Ma Handong 05-2043
- Wang Xiufang 05-2044
- Song Baoyuan
- Zhang Jianjun
- Wen Xianglian
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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