History of Poetry of China's Minorities

Author: Zhu Zhuxian, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1994-11-01
Features: Poetry of ethnic minorities generally exhibits the following characteristics: , folk poetry constitutes a significant portion of the literary heritage of ethnic minorities. Whether lyrical or narrative, epic or folk song, it showcases extraordinary marvels. Creation epics emerge during the formative period of a nation, serving as a unique expression of collective thought, embodying the wisdom, experience, and knowledge accumulated over generations. Many ethnic minorities possess creation epics with varying styles but similar content. In terms of heroic epics, the Geser of the Tibetan people, the Jangger of the Mongolian people, and the Malas of the Kirgiz people, among others, have attracted global attention due to their grand structures and majestic.
Second, diverse forms of expression. Written poetry is primarily carried by language. The written creations of ethnic minorities can be broadly categorized into five types: 1. Written in ethnic scripts. Many ethnic minorities possess their own scripts. Tibetan poetry dates back to the Tubo Dynasty established in the 7th century, but at that time, it was mostly recited spontaneously and later compiled. True flourishing and development occurred around the 12th century after the collapse of the Tubo Dynasty. The Dongba script used by the Naxi people is a pictographic and ideographic script, believed to have been created over a thousand years ago. It is primarily used for writing Dongba scriptures, which record religious content but also contain early literary works. Yi script and Dai script have left behind poetic legacies. Mongolian poetry began to flourish around the Opium War (1840), with Gula Lansha being the earliest pioneer. The ancestors of the Uyghur people historically used multiple scripts. The earliest Old Turkic script (i.e., Orkhon-Yenisei script, or runic script) was widely used before the 9th century. Documents written in this script were mostly inscriptions. The Uyghur script was used for a longer period, but due to religious conflicts, many documents were lost. After the mid-9th century, the Uyghur people adopted Islam, and the Arabic script gradually became their national script. Since the 10th century, Uyghur literary classics have been written in this script. Although the Khitan, Jurchen, and Dangxi peoples of the Middle Ages have long disappeared, they left behind poetic legacies recorded in their ethnic scripts, which will never be forgotten. The Xianbei people once had a collection of "national language" (Xianbei language) poetry, but unfortunately, it has long been lost. 2. Written in Chinese. The history of ethnic minorities learning Chinese classics dates back over 2,500 years to the Spring and Autumn Period. The Zuo Zhuan·Xiangong 14th Year records the story of the Rong official Ju Zhi reciting The Book of Songs·Xiaoya·Qingying to criticize petty slanderers; in the late Spring and Autumn Period, the Xianyu people established the State of Zhongshan, and the Han Shi Wai Zhuan states that the ruler of Zhongshan loved poetry, especially Shuli and Chenfeng (Volume 8); among Confucius's 72 disciples, Di He and Zuoren Ying were all Di people. The earliest Chinese poetry by ethnic minorities found in documents dates back to the Western Jin Dynasty, with the poet Xuanfeng being the first to leave a name. She was a young female poet. During the Sixteen Kingdoms period, the founder of the Han Kingdom, the Xiongnu Liu Yuan and his son Liu Cong, were both fond of poetry and literature, though their works have been completely lost, historical records should be credible. The Di ruler of the Former Qin, Fu Jian, promoted cultural education and aspired to unify the world. The Ming scholar Yang Shen, in his Sheng'an Poetry Notes, praised the fragments of his poems as "no less than the Han and Wei Dynasties"! The Northern Wei Emperor Xiaowen, Tuoba Hong, was an active advocate of ethnic integration. He implemented a series of reforms that advanced Xianbei culture. After this, the Chinese poetry of ethnic minorities continued to emerge, achieving remarkable success. During the golden age of poetry in the Tang Dynasty, ethnic minorities joined the rushing tide of Chinese literary development with their high-spirited songs. The Yuan and Qing dynasties, ruled by ethnic minorities, inherited the cultural traditions of the Chinese nation, just like previous rulers. The advantage of their rule provided unprecedented opportunities for the emergence of literary talents among the Mongolian, Semu, and Manchu peoples. 3. Translated into Chinese. Before many ethnic minorities developed their own scripts, Chinese characters were already widely used. Some poems of ethnic minorities are documented as translations. For example, The Song of the Yue People and The Song of the Zhuodu People have preserved the phonetic records of the ethnic languages in Chinese characters. The Song of the Xiongnu and The Song of the Tiele People are also undoubtedly translations, even though they lack phonetic records of the ethnic languages in Chinese characters. 4. Written in Chinese with phonetic records of ethnic languages. Such a type had already emerged as early as the Tang Dynasty. Works like The Jade Stream Records and The Brocade Treasury of Myriad Flowers include poems exchanged between the Nanzhou Prince of the White Horse and the Imperial Secretary Zhao Shuda during the Xinghui Festival and the Wind-Retarding Platform. The Qing scholar Li's Yue Feng collects many Zhuang, Liao, and Yao songs written in Chinese with phonetic records of the ethnic languages, interspersed with Chinese words. Other works written in Chinese with phonetic records include the ethical long poem Chuanyangge of the Zhuang people and the epic Qiyuange of the Dong people, which are examples of such poetry. Naturally, there are also Chinese loanwords mixed in.
Third, a pluralistic development system. The pluralistic development system of ethnic poetry is determined by its diverse forms of expression. The differences in carrier forms primarily manifest in the interplay between Chinese and ethnic languages. Some ethnic groups may have their own scripts, but their poetic expressions are not limited to their ethnic scripts, as they also use Chinese characters for creation. Thus, a pluralistic development system is formed. For example, the Mongolian and Uyghur peoples have their own ethnic scripts for poetry, but they also produce a large amount of Chinese poetry. In the early 13th century, Genghis Khan conquered the world through military prowess, and during his western campaigns, many Uyghurs joined the Mongol army. The fierce military campaigns and subsequent political changes led to the influx of many outstanding talents of ethnic minorities into the Central Plains. Through constant exposure and cultural influence, a generation of outstanding scholars emerged. The Ming scholar Dai Liang, in the preface to the poetry collection of the Muslim poet Ding Heyen, wrote: "When our dynasty received the mandate, it rose from the northwest. The Hui, Tubo, Kangli, Uyghur, Yelüwen, and Tangwu peoples often took the lead in submitting and were honored as vassals. They basked in the light of grace and benefited from the favor of the court, no different from the officials within the capital. Over time, cultural and administrative systems flourished, and their sons and grandsons gradually abandoned archery and horseback riding to pursue poetry and books. Among those who gained fame through poetry were Guan Gongshi, Ma Gongboyong, Sa Gongtianshi, and Yu Gongtingxin. Critics compared Ma Gong's poetry to that of Bai Juyi, Guan Gong's and Sa Gong's poetry to that of Li Shangyin, and Yu Gong's poetry to that of Yin Ke and He Xun. Others like Gao Gongyanjing, Jia Gongzishan, Da Gongjianshan, Ya Gongzhengqing, Nie Gonggubai, Wa Gongkewang, Lu Gongzhidao, and the three Gongsi Tinggui were also fresh, outstanding, and established their own poetic styles." This passage discusses the political background of the growth of ethnic poets and the sources of their Chinese poetry.