Meige Culture Festival of Yi Ethnic Minority in Yaoan County, Chuxiong

Overview

• Chinese Name: 姚安县彝族梅葛文化节
• English Name: Meige Culture Festival of Yi Ethnic Minority in Yaoan County, Chuxiong
• Location:Mayouping Village, Guantun Township, Yao’an County/姚安县官屯乡马游坪村

Introduction

“Meige” is a transliteration from the Yi language, where “mei” means “to speak” and “ge” means “ancient.” Therefore, “Meige” refers to the act of reciting ancient stories. The Meige of the Chuxiong Yi people is transmitted orally by the talented singing and dancing Yi people, passed down from generation to generation, forming a grand epic of national mythology with relatively fixed methods of performance and content. Most of the illiterate Yi ancestors, despite not being able to read or write, could sing the “celestial script” of Meige as easily as flowing streams, effortlessly and naturally.

The Yi people’s “Meige,” filled with an ancient and mysterious aura, represents the ancient Yi people’s expression regarding the origins of all things. It is a crystallization of the collective wisdom of the Yi people over thousands of years, a timeless ancient song of the Yi community that can never be fully sung.

The Meige melodies are divided into two main categories: “Chimei” (Red Meige) and “Fumei” (Auxiliary Meige). The melodies of “Chimei” are relatively mournful, sorrowful, and low-pitched, while “Fumei” features more lyrical and expressive tunes. In actual performances, Meige melodies can further be categorized into five types: Guoshan Diao (Mountain Melody), Laonian Meige (Old Age Meige), Qingshan Meige (Youth Meige), Wawa Meige (Child’s Meige), and Libie Diao (Farewell Melody). “Guoshan Diao” is often sung loudly in the high mountains and forests, with a rough and resonant tone. “Laonian Meige” is typically sung during festivals, weddings, funerals, and joyous banquets, focusing on themes of creation and establishing a family, characterized by a low and smooth melody. “Qingshan Meige” expresses deep and affectionate reflections on pure love and life, often improvised between young men and women during late-night gatherings or visits. “Wawa Meige” consists of humorous and playful children’s songs, light-hearted and catchy. “Libie Diao” is poignant and sorrowful, usually sung by middle-aged Yi men and women expressing their feelings of longing and aging; it often features a call-and-response format between male and female singers.

Throughout history, the Yi people have spread their imagined wings, relying on their innate talent for improvisational song and dance, using the specific melodies of “Meige” to express a language of song and dance art, blooming freely in their homeland.

In the 1950s, Yi artist Luo Xueming from Mayouping performed at the Great Hall of the People. In 1961, Guo Moruo visited Chuxiong and composed a poem: “Flowers bloom in the frontier, twelve brothers gather together, working hard in harmony, the songs and dances of Meige exude fragrance.” In 1982, it participated in the “National Ethnic Minority Arts Performance” and received accolades from the Ministry of Culture. An American friend, Mr. Mark Bendler, visited Mayou Village for research and translated “Meige” into English, publishing it in the American magazine “Exploration” in March 1987, which sparked a strong response in the international academic community. In June 2008, Yi Meige was officially listed by the State Council as part of the second batch of national intangible cultural heritage protection.

Activities

The Yi Meige is primarily distributed in the Yi-populated areas of Chuxiong Prefecture, including Mayouping in Yao’an County, Tanhua, Santai, and Guihua in Dayao County, Zhijia in Yongren County, and Lawan in Mouding County. The Meige Cultural Festival is the most grand celebration in the Yi mountainous region, centered around the historical site of Meige in Mayouping, Yao’an County. It features singing Meige tunes as its main event and is commonly referred to as the Meige Gathering or “Duidaozi,” meaning a singing competition.

During the festival, the Yi people dress in traditional attire, play three-stringed instruments, blow bamboo flutes, and sing Meige songs. The sounds of singing and bamboo flute dancing flutter through the Yi villages like butterflies, creating a lively atmosphere. The art and charm of the Meige culture seep into the hearts of everyone through the songs.

At the Meige Cultural Festival, you can not only witness the Yi community coming together for three days and nights of enthusiastic Meige singing but also enjoy exciting traditional sports performances and taste local delicacies such as spicy fish, hill-grown yam, sweetened buckwheat cakes, and triangular glutinous rice soup.

During the annual Yi New Year, Yao’an County in Chuxiong Prefecture holds the “Yao’an Yi Meige Cultural Festival” in Guantun Town, Mayou Village, which is celebrated as the “hometown of Meige” and the “land of songs and dances.” Guests can witness the grand recitation of the Yi epic “Meige.”