Baikoulian Folk Songs

12.Baikoulian Folk Songs

Nominating Unit: City of Zhongshan

As one of the most ancient and popular Hakka mountain songs in Wugui Mountain, Baikoulian Folk Songs are mainly distributed in Wugui Mountain, Nanlang, Shenwan, Sanxiang, Banfu and Tanzhou towns in Zhongshan. The Customs Section of Guangdong Province Reports written during the Reign of Emperor Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty has accounts of villagers in the field entertaining themselves by singing Folk Songs”, a vivid depiction of ancient Hakka singing Baikoulian Folk Songs.

Performed by a male and female duo, the male singer will raise the questions which are then answered by the female counterpart. With a maximum of seven words per line, two lines make up a period whose content is about life from different social aspects. The musical form is divided into the upper and lower lines with the former ending on Gong tune and the latter on Wei tune, producing a smooth and fl exible melody. Its tunes relate to various topics, including tea-plucking, love, flowers and jingle, etc.(https://www.daowen.com)

Born in the juncture of Wugui Mountain area and Shatian water-town where Hakka culture meets and integrates with Tan ethnic culture, Baikoulian Folk Songs have their own characteristics. For instance, it is sung in Cantonese but in the tune of Songs of Boat Dwellers, an assimilation of resounding Folk Songs and soft Songs of Boat Dwellers; ornamental words like “Ah”, “Ah-lie”, “Aw” and “Lo”, “sister” by male singers and “brother” by female singers, are all from Songs of Boat Dwellers. But what distinguishes the two is that singers of Baikoulian Folk Songs will begin by one larynx voice followed by jump progress of quaint intervals with a sliding sound that ends the song, creating a fl owing rhythm of special appeal.

Despite the fact that Baikoulian Folk Songs are significant in artistic and cultural value, fewer than ten people, most of whom are senior in years, can sing the songs. In addition, the young generation has switched their aesthetic appreciation taste, which means there is a lack of talent to carry on the tradition. Therefore, immediate measures are urgently needed to save the heritage from perishing.