Essence of Wu Songs

Author: Wang Rongpei, Jin Xu, Wang Hong, Du Zhengming
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-05-01
Features: Wu songs are a general term for folk songs and ballads in the Wu-speaking regions of China. Nurtured by the Wu culture in the water towns of Jiangnan, Wu songs possess distinct characteristics. Since ancient times, they have been summarized by their graceful and gentle, tender and kind, subtle and lingering, and metaphorical and winding features, setting them apart from the passionate, straightforward, bold, and majestic northern folk songs. Wu songs are rich in water culture characteristics. Unlike towering mountains and vast grasslands, they flow like gentle streams, fresh and bright, with twists and turns, flexible yet full of emotion, sharing the same tone as the soft Wu dialect, and possessing a unique charm in folk art. This book selects 101 outstanding ancient and modern Wu songs, spanning over 2,000 years. Wu songs vividly record the life history of farmers and the lower classes in Jiangnan, serving as invaluable historical materials and precious intangible cultural heritage. In terms of content, Wu songs include love songs, labor songs, political songs, ritual songs, children's songs, and more.