The Culture Performance of Jianshui Xiaodiao Folk Song,Honghe
Jianshui Xiao Diao is a traditional folk music that has been passed down in Jianshui County, Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China, with a history spanning over six hundred years.
The content of Jianshui Xiao Diao is extensive, covering various aspects of social life. It also encompasses the traditional music of the Hani ethnic group in Jianshui, known as Huadeng music. The melodies are simple, smooth, and subtle. Throughout its long development, Jianshui Xiao Diao has absorbed the lyrical rhythm of Han ethnic tunes and combined it with the traditional musical tones of the Hani people, forming a distinctive genre. The lyrics are in Chinese, with rhyme and varying lengths. For centuries, Jianshui Xiao Diao has been a symbol fluttering in the hearts of both Hani and Han people, representing the cultural fusion of these two ethnic groups. Whether during festivals, temple fairs, or horse racing events, the never-ending sound of Jianshui Xiao Diao can be heard. Some individuals sing it from their youth until their hair turns gray, and there seems to be no end. Ordinary things, when sung by them, instantly become radiant.
Within Jianshui Xiao Diao, numerous compositions have received awards in various music competitions nationwide and even globally. Examples include the Dian Nan Yi ethnic group’s four major singing styles: “Sha Shuo Qiang,” “Hai Cai Qiang,” “Wu San Qiang,” and “Si Qiang.” Other notable compositions include “Xi Xiang Ba Zi Yi Wo Que” and “Cai Hua Xing * Qing Cai Bai Cai Liang Xiao Pan Er.”
In the 2004 National Youth Singer TV Awards on China Central Television (CCTV), the song “Yi Wo Que” was jointly adapted by the renowned composers Wan Li and Liu Xiaogeng, along with lyricist Mr. Jiang Mingchu. This song originated from the Jianshui Yi ethnic folk song “Xi Xiang Ba Zi Yi Wo Que.” At that time and continuing to the present, this song has had an extraordinary influence and impact on Yunnan’s ethnic music nationwide. Simultaneously, it represents a successful leap in the cultural and artistic history of Yunnan, serving as a powerful cultural calling card for the province.
The melody of “Yi Wo Que” preserves the main theme of “Xi Xiang Ba Zi Yi Wo Que” and extends it with bold innovations in modern compositional techniques. The song incorporates modern aesthetic concepts and addresses contemporary environmental concerns, creating a fresh interpretation with distinct ethnic characteristics, artistic qualities, and a sense of the times. It portrays the scene of a beautiful homeland being lost and then regained. “Yi Wo Que,” performed with Western-style bel canto, is a fusion of Eastern and Western elements, earning recognition from both audiences and judges. Meanwhile, “Xi Xiang Ba Zi Yi Wo Que” is widely known in every household in Jianshui.
The songs provided for your listening pleasure from Jianshui Xiao Diao include vibrant and bright tunes performed by Yi ethnic folk singers, recorded in the mountainous fields. There are also adaptations that, while not altering the fundamental tones of the songs, make slight changes to lyrics, melodies, and musical production arrangements to align with the footsteps of the era and the contemporary aesthetic preferences of modern audiences.
