Haiyang Work Songs
01 · Historical Records
Changhai haozi originated in the late Eastern Han (220) and only gradually developed and reached completeness by the late Qing and the early Republican period (1911); they were at their height in the 1960s. In the 1990s, with the change in modes of production and the deaths in succession of old boatmen and old fishermen, the development of Changhai haozi fell into difficulty for a time, and protection urgently needs to be strengthened.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Changhai county is the only island county on China’s border. Changhai haozi are the various work chants produced by island residents while carrying out sea trade, fishing and other labour; they circulate mainly among the Changshan islands in the northern Yellow Sea, east of the Liaodong peninsula. Changhai haozi are of many kinds, rich in content and varied in mode, and fall mainly into two large classes: the boatmen’s chants, shouted by the men of the transport boats while at labour, and the fishermen’s chants, sung and shouted by fishermen while catching fish. The tunes of Changhai haozi are broad and rugged, high and drawn-out, and are mostly in the siping qiang, erliu qiang, liushui qiang and san qiang styles and in the small hua qiang, large hua qiang and large shuai qiang styles. The rhythm is lively and brisk, mostly in 4/4, 2/4 and 1/4 metre and in free rhythm; the syllables are short and the words plain, mostly three to five characters. The principal forms of Changhai haozi are the sail-hoisting chant (the verb is read with the pronunciation of zhang, “palm”), composed of the sanqi tou and the lao hao, the anchor-raising chant, the anchor-holding chant, the oar-rowing chant, the towing-line chant, the hold-unloading chant, the boat-pushing chant, the beach-drawing chant, the net-hauling chant and the fish-bundle-lifting chant.
Boatmen's and fishermen's chants
The two large classes of Changhai haozi: the chants shouted by the men of the transport boats while at labour, and the chants sung and shouted by fishermen while catching fish.
Sail-hoisting chant
One of the principal forms of Changhai haozi, composed of two parts, the sanqi tou and the lao hao.
Anchor-raising chant
One of the principal forms of Changhai haozi, sung to accompany the work of raising the anchor.
Hold-unloading and net-hauling chants
Principal forms of Changhai haozi, accompanying respectively the unloading of the hold and the hauling of the net.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Changhai county is the only island county on China’s border, and Changhai haozi circulate mainly among the Changshan islands in the northern Yellow Sea, east of the Liaodong peninsula. They fall into two large classes, the boatmen’s chants and the fishermen’s chants: the former are shouted by the men of the transport boats while at labour, the latter are sung and shouted by fishermen while catching fish. The tunes are broad and rugged, high and drawn-out, mostly in the siping qiang, erliu qiang, liushui qiang and san qiang styles and in the small hua qiang, large hua qiang and large shuai qiang styles; the rhythm is lively and brisk, mostly in 4/4, 2/4 and 1/4 metre and in free rhythm.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Haiyang Work Songs · Haiyang Work Songs · Haiyang Work Songs.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Changhai haozi originated in the late Eastern Han and only gradually developed and reached completeness by the late Qing and the early Republican period, reaching their height in the 1960s; in the 1990s, with the change in modes of production and the deaths of old boatmen and fishermen in succession, their development fell into difficulty for a time. The principal chants surviving today are the sail-hoisting chant (the verb is read with the pronunciation of zhang, “palm”), composed of the sanqi tou and the lao hao, the anchor-raising chant, the anchor-holding chant, the oar-rowing chant, the towing-line chant, the hold-unloading chant, the boat-pushing chant, the beach-drawing chant, the net-hauling chant and the fish-bundle-lifting chant.
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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