Analysis of the Essence of Folk Songs

Author: Zhu Shiying
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2003-01-01
Features: Folk songs belong to the category of popular literature. Some look down on popular literature, calling it shallow or even coarse and vulgar, unsuitable for the halls of high culture. In fact, "popular" and "elegant" can be integrated and complement each other. Works that are both popular and elegant are often superior. The ideological core of folk songs is a single word—sincerity. Sincerity in dealing with people and sincerity in dealing with things is like a bright mirror hanging high, reflecting whatever comes before it without distortion, always returning to its true nature. Folk songs are rich in life experience and filled with the author's personal feelings. Speaking individually, they capture a particular aspect or highlight of society, but when viewed collectively, they are diverse, almost encompassing all kinds of characters, issues, and phenomena in society. From the Yin and Shang dynasties to the modern era, the social shadows of almost every dynasty appear within them, making them akin to an "external history." "Food and sex are the great desires of humanity." "All joy stems from its origin, and rites never forget their roots." The best of them are generally characterized by the phrase, "Their words are like play, yet they are truthful." They are firmly rooted in emotion, stirring deep within the heart and from the mouth, much like "hunger pangs for food and thirst for drink," arising entirely naturally.