Gaocun, in my impression, is a remote town, and I always feel that there is nothing good about it. On January 9, 2015, I once again participated in the gathering of members of the Yun'an District Writers' Association of Yunfu City. Although I came and went in a hurry and what I saw and heard was limited, at a glance, Gaocun was far from the Gaocun I remembered...
In fact, Gaocun is not inferior to other towns at all, and even shows its own characteristics. It is said that Gaocun was called "Singing Village" in ancient times (it was renamed Gaocun in the early years of the Republic of China). Because the locals liked to sing folk songs, and often even delayed the farming season because of the mutual reluctance to sing, the singing village got its name. It can be seen that it is very common for Gaocun people to love singing folk songs!
The well-known name "Sanjie Liu" actually has a deep historical connection with Gaocun. It is said that the predecessor of Liu Sanjie, Liu Sanmei, was from Gecun (Gaocun). During her time in Gaocun, she was a well-known folk song singer. Later, she fled to Guangxi and settled down in Guangxi, where she thrived. After her life became a little more stable, Sanjie Liu, who loved singing folk songs, showed her full voice and sang the simple, beautiful and high-spirited folk songs of her hometown. Because of her excellent talent, sweet singing voice, and rich and emotional voice, it was really mesmerizing. Liu Sanjie became famous for her songs, and Gecun became known to outsiders because of Liu Sanjie. For a time, "Gecun" became famous outside the country, and its reputation grew day by day. Liu Sanjie became a representative figure in the field of folk songs, and people at the time called her the "Song Fairy". Song Village, accompanied by Liu Sanjie's singing, has become known to the people of Guangdong and Guangxi, and is deeply rooted in the hearts of people in Guangdong, Guangxi and even the whole country!
Gaocun folk songs have a long history and are everlasting. Because of its unique environment, Gaocun gave birth to folk songs, which have been widely integrated into people's daily lives. In ancient times, it was extremely inconvenient for villagers to communicate with each other due to the high mountains and long roads. To communicate with each other, they had to shout loudly and roar. Over time, this ups and downs communication method developed into unique folk songs. This is almost the same as the origin of all folk songs. The familiar Shaanxi folk song "Xintianyou" has many similarities with Gaocun folk songs. For hundreds of years, surrounding villagers have held red and white festivals, and many families have invited mountain singers to sing duets to cheer for them. The so-called duet singing of folk songs is basically improvisation, and a large number of traditional techniques such as fu, bi, xing in the Book of Songs are used. They may be inspired by events, express aspirations based on objects, or evoke emotions in the scene. The two sides of the duet often revolve around a The topic or theme is sung and harmonized, and you come and go. You can quite observe the singer's wit and artistic and moral cultivation level. Generally speaking, if a singer is quick-witted and has a high level of artistic and moral cultivation, his folk songs will be civilized and elegant, whereas if they are not, their folk songs will be tacky. This kind of duet usually involves a man and a woman. I have heard this kind of singing concert many times when I was a child, and I can still sing some of the songs to this day.
In the not-too-distant past, folk songs were a major platform for unmarried young men and women to find love. According to the elders, young men and women who were previously unmarried either participated in singing performances or directly participated in folk song duets to find their partners. Unexpectedly, this folk song, which seems inconspicuous to us today, has been the most trustworthy matchmaker between young men and women for thousands of years!
According to Mr. Maibaison, a fellow traveler, Gaocun folk songs have a history of more than 600 years, and the Ming Dynasty was its heyday. After listening to what Mr. Mai said, I think the Ming Dynasty should also be a period of cultural diversity and prosperity in Gaocun, right? Not to mention anything else, the fact that there are so many temples in Gaocun is enough to illustrate the problem. Most of the temples in Gaocun were built in the Ming Dynasty or commemorate historical figures of this period. For example, the Beidi Temple in Shiniu Village of this town was built in the late Ming Dynasty; the Ergong Temple and the Three Realms Martyrs Hall in Qingshui Village commemorate historical figures of the Ming Dynasty, among which the Ergong Temple commemorates Zhang Yuanxun, a hero of the Sanluo Jing Rebellion And Chen Lin's, the Three Realms Martyrs Hall was built in memory of Chen Lin's wife Ya. Gaocun folk songs promote the prosperity of a unique culture! Ge Village is more than just Ge Ye?
Gaocun culture, represented by Gaocun folk songs, has also given birth to a number of cultural celebrities.
For example, Lu Yanqin (also known as Shufang) of Qingshui Village, Gaocun, served as the county magistrate of Yunfu County from 1932 to 1934. After the Anti-Japanese War, he returned to his hometown and was enthusiastic about the development of education. He joined forces with the surrounding villagers to build Qixiang Middle School, which provided a foundation for education in his hometown. Zeng Lioruo of Baimei Village, Gaocun Town, is a famous historian. He has written "Historical Records of the Two Jin Dynasties", "Chronology of Master Xuanzang of the Tang Dynasty", etc., and once served as the school inspector of Guangdong Province...
Gaocun Folk songs have developed rapidly under the protection and guidance of successive local governments. In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the cultural department of Yunfu County organized personnel to collect and organize hundreds of folk songs in Gaocun and other places, and published a collection of folk songs with more than 50,000 words. In the 1960s, Yunfu County held a folk song competition and unearthed a wealth of folk songs. After the reform and opening up, he compiled and edited the "Selected Yunfu Folk Songs", collecting more than 160 Gaocun folk songs with more than 70,000 words. After Yun'an was established as a county, the county party committee and the county government organized two Gaocun folk song competitions. The publicity and cultural department also collected hundreds of Gaocun folk songs and compiled and published a collection of nearly 100,000 words of folk songs...
Although Gaocun folk songs belong to the Lower Riba people in terms of art, they also have a unique charm that Yangchun Baixue does not have, and they have also been in the halls of elegance. In the early 1950s, Gaocunshan singer Wu Fengying impromptu sang folk songs when attending the National Model Worker Conference. She won praise from Guo Moruo, then chairman of the All-China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and Minister of Culture, and composed improvised poems. In recent years, Huang Zeping and Zeng Guimei, representatives of Gaocun folk songs, have represented Yun'an in the first provincial folk art competition; Gaocun Town has also held a folk song competition. Gaocun folk songs keep pace with the times, constantly innovate carriers and forms, and accelerate the pace of development. Gaocun folk songs have become a cultural business card of Yun'an. Song Village is well deserved!
During the break during the trip, a Gaocunshan singer sang an impromptu Gaocunshan song for us in the town government compound. After listening to the folk songs, several literary friends who were traveling with me were still not satisfied and clamored to find another mountain singer to sing a section to experience the beauty of different styles. Under the leadership of Ye Lihua, the deputy mayor of the town, we came to the home of Mr. Huang who lives next to the market in Gaocun Town. As soon as we entered Mr. Huang's house, we saw an old dulcimer placed in the living room, and there were also musical instruments such as erhu, suona, guitar, and horizontal flute hung on the wall. According to Mr. Huang's self-introduction, we learned that he is completely self-taught. While enjoying a colorful musical life, he also cuts paper and showed us his exquisite paper-cut works one by one. This surprised me. How peaceful is the state of mind of an ancient man who is detached from the world, immersed in artistic conception, and enjoying himself? And in his seventies, he has a glowing face and is full of energy, which shows the magic of art! It is said that Yunfu TV Station, Yunfu Daily and other media have reported on his deeds. However, Mr. Huang told us with regret that not many young people are interested in his craftsmanship now, and he is worried that the craftsmanship passed down by his ancestors will be lost in his hands. After listening to Mr. Huang’s words, we couldn’t help but sigh!
However, we firmly believe that as the process of great national rejuvenation continues to accelerate, tradition will definitely return and be carried forward with the joint efforts of the people across the country.
We look forward to the folk art represented by Gao Cun folk songs regaining their youthful glory!