A Comparative Study on the Cultural Connotation of Hezhou "Hua'er" and Shaanbei "Xintianyou"

Author: Li Xiongfei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-12-01
Features: This book is based on extensive field research and written materials. Through a comparative study of the cultural connotations of Hezhou "Hua'er" and Shaanbei "Xintianyou," it proposes that "Hua'er" and "Xintianyou" share both similarities and differences, while each has its own roots in terms of environment, economy, politics, culture, ethnicity, and beliefs. These findings reveal the following laws of folk song development and evolution: environment and economy determine the content of folk songs, ethnicity and culture endow folk songs with certain characteristics, and politics influences their rise and decline. The impact of these factors on folk song texts is multifaceted and is ultimately manifested through folk song performers. Therefore, the study of folk songs inevitably leads to the study of their creators. The research presented here demonstrates that comparative studies are a highly useful method for folk song research.