Maoshan Work Songs
01 · Historical Records
Maoshan haozi originated in Maoshan Town of Xinghua City, Jiangsu Province, and are widely current in the Lixiahe region of central-southern Jiangsu. In 1956 the Maoshan haozi sung by the folk singer Zhu Xianglin of Maoshan Town were carried to Zhongnanhai, where the singer was received by Chairman Mao and other central leaders, and they won a silver medal at the World Festival of Youth and Students.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Legend has it that Maoshan haozi are connected with the story of Meng Jiangnü searching for her husband at the Great Wall. According to the legend, when Meng Jiangnü reached Shanhaiguan she saw the old, the weak, the sick and the disabled carrying stones and earth on their backs, unable to bear the weight and yet afraid to gasp or groan in front of the overseers; so she taught them to catch their breath and spare their effort by grunting in question and answer, and the labour haozi gradually took shape; the migrant labourers from Maoshan carried the haozi transmitted by Meng Jiangnü back to their home district. Most Maoshan haozi consist of one person leading the singing and the rest joining in, in question and answer, in song and response. The tones and melodies of Maoshan haozi are placid and plain, the musical rhythm is bright and vigorous, the tempo of singing is free and fast or slow, and the musical form is well ordered in its joining and dividing; in particular the choral sections form a distinctive folk song character of coordinated high and low registers with free lamenting. In performing style, the Maoshan people keep a steady line when chanting haozi, the diction is forceful, men's voices are rough and women's voices are soft, the articulation is clear, and the whole melody is full of elasticity, having both the soft beauty and indirectness of the Jiangnan area and the roughness and high resonance of northern Jiangsu. Maoshan haozi have long enjoyed a great reputation throughout the country and are also somewhat known on the world music scene. Thereafter Zhu Xianglin, Tang Xiaoling, Shi Bin and others went on winning awards for Maoshan haozi in various performances. As one of the characteristic cultural brands of Xinghua City, “Maoshan haozi” has been incorporated into music textbooks and has entered primary and secondary school campuses.
Irrigation, transplanting and weeding chants
Varieties of Maoshan haozi classified by performing form, of which the “rice-transplanting haozi” stands out above all and is popularly called “little sister”.
Carrying, threshing and cart chants
The remaining varieties of Maoshan haozi classified by performing form, used for carrying poles, threshing yards, flails and ox carts and other farm work.
Long and short chants
From the point of musical structure, Maoshan haozi fall into long haozi and short haozi.
Legend of Meng Jiangnü
According to the legend, when Meng Jiangnü reached Shanhaiguan she saw the old, the weak, the sick and the disabled carrying stones and earth on their backs and unable to bear the weight, so she taught them to catch their breath and spare their effort by grunting in question and answer, and the labour haozi gradually took shape; the migrant labourers from Maoshan carried the haozi transmitted by Meng Jiangnü back to their home district.
Annual Mao-shan chant contest
Maoshan Town has more than four thousand folk singers in the whole township, every village has a Maoshan haozi singing team, and the town holds the “Maoshan haozi Grand Competition” every year.
Incorporated into music textbooks
As one of the characteristic cultural brands of Xinghua City, “Maoshan haozi” has been incorporated into music textbooks and has entered primary and secondary school campuses; in 1956 the Maoshan haozi sung by the folk singer Zhu Xianglin of Maoshan Town were carried to Zhongnanhai and won a silver medal at the World Festival of Youth and Students.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
According to performing form, Maoshan haozi fall into irrigation haozi, rice-transplanting haozi, weeding haozi, carrying-pole haozi, threshing-yard haozi, flail haozi, ox-cart haozi and so on, of which the “rice-transplanting haozi” stands out above all and is popularly called “little sister”; from the point of musical structure they fall into long haozi and short haozi; in content some sing of the loyalty, filial piety, integrity and righteousness of ancient figures, some chant the leisurely and contented life of the farm family through the four seasons, and some praise the pure and simple love between men and women; as for occasion, they are used at the field ridges and threshing floors, by the dikes and canals and in courtyards, and have gradually walked onto the stage.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
At present Maoshan Town has more than four thousand folk singers in the whole township, every village has a Maoshan haozi singing team, and the town holds the “Maoshan haozi Grand Competition” every year. Lu Aiqin (official archive record of the associated inheritor): Female, Han, born in June 1973, a native of Xinghua City, Jiangsu Province. She has visited local singers widely and taken village song masters as her own teachers. Her voice is high and strong, sweet and fine, her line steady, her diction clear. When singing she fuses the local accent with local feeling, and she handles very well the placid and plain tones and melodies and the bright and vigorous musical rhythm, coordinating the high and the low registers and lamenting freely; her performing technique has an aesthetic appeal of its own. Representative inheritor of Maoshan haozi of the fifth national-level batch of intangible cultural heritage. She is devoted to the performance of Maoshan haozi and to the training of inheritors. She has taken part in provincial competitions and performance events dozens of times, and has achieved good results in all of them. She is devoted to the performance of Maoshan haozi and to the training of inheritors, and often leads her disciples and her daughter to performances in various places.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Lu Aiqin 05-2167
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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