Chapter Three: The Formation of Shanbei Folksongs

A folk art, especially an art that has evolved for a long time, must have rooted in the culture from which it originates. Shanbei folksongs are of no exception. They are an integral part of the Shanbei culture. What is unique of the Shanbei folksongs is its“uncontaminated”form in the contemporary world. Owing to the widespread tune of the“East Is Red, ”Shanbei folksong has been recognized throughout China, even outside China. Artists and scholars alike have also endeavored to promote the ancient art through modern media. Thanks to the advent of modern technology, especially television and the Internet, artists try every means possible to disseminate the art in such venues as“Singing Competition, ”government-sponsored shows as well as in academic instruction. As the folk art becomes more and more popular, it begins to lose its original flavor to some extent. This is especially true when the folksongs are sung in the form of aria of Western opera with the accompaniment of Western musical instruments. The folk art, which used to be performed only on the soil of Shanbei with its unique style and flavor, is now turned into a part of popular music. An impression one can get from hearing Shanbei folksongs is its high-pitched tune in celebrative mood.“That is a false representation of the folk art, ”a local Shanbei folksong lover would say. In fact, both the locals and Shanbei folk art experts are faced with a dilemma. On the one hand, they love to see the folk art getting more audience. On the other hand, they lament the impact inflicted by the onslaught of the modern media upon the folk art. In their minds, the modern technology has had a more negative impact upon the folk art. To some extent, it may help dilute, devalue or even destroy the ancient-old art. It is, therefore, imperative for both Shanbei folksong lovers and experts to preserve the art by showing the audience what constitutes the essence of the art.

But to preserve the traditional art form of Shanbei folksong is by no means easy; it is a daunting task even for the experts who know the language and the traditional tunes. For one thing, there seems no consensus as to where Shanbei folksongs originate and what factors help perpetuate the art. The only thing that people agree upon is the location where the songs were originated; that is the northern part of Shaanxi Province. There are at least two views with regard to the origin of the Shanbei folksongs. One points to the Classic of Poetry, a collection of ancient poems during the Spring-Autumn period (1046-771 BCE). Another view is that Shanbei folksongs are a hybrid of several adjacent regions bordering the northern section of Shaanxi Province. Both views have their supporting evidence, but neither is overwhelmingly convincing. The difficulty lies in the lack of written documents that demonstrate the connectivity between Shanbei folksongs and the two different sources. Like all folk arts, Shanbei folksongs pass on for generations through words of mouth. The first known collection of Shanbei folksongs was published in 1950. Prior to the publication of the collection, very few people, including the natives of the Shanbei area, knew how this ancient art had been perpetuated. But a closer look at these sources may shed light on the true nature of the art, and helps preserve its originality. The link between Classic of Poetry and Shanbei folksong will be discussed in the fifth chapter in detail, so in this chapter, the focus is put on the relationship between Shanbei folksongs and the folksongs from the adjacent areas.

As discussed in the second chapter, Shanbei is an area of cultural hybridity. Its people have been living side by side with the people from adjacent regions for millenniums. As a result, their cultural heritage, customs and languages are all intertwined with each other. As an important cultural heritage of the region, Shanbei folksongs are also a production of this cultural hybridity. In Shaanxi Province, the northern part of Shaanxi, namely the Shanbei region, is bordered with Inner Mongolia in the north, Gansu and Ningxia in the west and Shanxi Province in the east. Each of the adjacent regions has its own folksongs, which are similar to Shanbei folksongs both in form and content. For instance, the“mountain tune”is very popular in Shanxi Province to the east of Shanbei. The two areas are only separated by the Yellow River. Linguistically speaking, people of the two regions speak the same dialect, and their life style is quite identical. To the north of Shanbei region is the vast grassland of Inner Mongolia. As one can see from the map, the two regions are separated not by a natural division such as a mountain or a river, but by a man-made construction—The Great Wall, illustrated by the broken blue line. The Wall was built to ward off the raids from Xiongnu — the Mongol tribe. The Mongols live a nomad live, moving from one place to another where water and grass abound. So, their language and culture are totally different from that of the Shanbei region. However, the locals have a folksong called“hill-climbing tune, ”which sounds very similar to Shanbei folksongs. To the west and the northwest of Shanbei are Ningxia and Gansu. The eastern part of Gangu used to belong to the Qin state, so people of both regions share their language and customs. However, Ningxia is an area resided by Muslims. Even though their dialect is close to that of Shanbei, their culture, especially religious belief, is not shared by the people of Shanbei. But in Ningxia and Gangu, there is a folksong called“Flower”; its tune and subject matter share some common features with Shanbei folksongs. To what extent are Shanbei folksongs related to these regional tunes or what impact that Shanbei folksongs have upon the other folksongs? Similar to Shanbei folksongs, these regional folksongs are also passed on for generations through words of mouth. Until the mid of 20th century, there had been no written or sound recording of these folkloric treasures. So, it is difficult to determine who has influenced whom. One thing is for sure —these folksongs exist side by side with Shanbei folksongs. There are obvious similarities among them in terms of their tunes and the content of the songs. On the other hand, each folksong has its unique features not shared by others. Their similarities provide a living proof of the connection between Shanbei folksongs and their neighbors' art.