Cultural Perspectives on the Identity and Differences of Mountain Songs

Author: Li Xiongfei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-10-27
Features: This article, from the perspective of cultural anthropology, employs comparative research methods to conduct an in-depth comparative discussion on two types of folk songs with the longest history and widest distribution in the Northwest Plateau of China—"Hua'er" and "Xintianyou." It aims to enhance people's rational understanding of Chinese folk song studies and their critical thinking about folk song culture by analyzing "Hua'er," "Xintianyou," and their interrelationships. The study of a particular folk song should begin with its lyrics and melodies, then delve into the inner world of folk singers, followed by an exploration of folk song culture, and finally, an in-depth examination of the natural, social, cultural, and human contexts related to folk songs. The characteristics of folk song culture, its constituent parts, and the interrelationships among folk songs themselves, as well as the dynamic relationships between nature, society, culture, and people on one hand and folk song culture on the other, are all in a state of mutual independence and dependence, mutual contradiction and coordination, mutual interaction and influence. They are in a perpetual state of change, moving from balance to imbalance and back to a new balance, thereby influencing the laws governing the development of folk song culture and the rise and fall of each folk song culture with its unique colors. This book reexamines the cultural nature of folk songs from a cultural perspective, providing summaries and evaluations from different angles and groups of people.