Mudong Mountain Songs

Mudong Mountain Songs

Mudong Mountain Songs are a national intangible cultural heritage.

　　Mudong Mountain Songs are a genre of folk songs sung by residents in Mudong Town, Banan District, Chongqing. Their origins can be traced back to the ancient “Ba-Yu Songs and Dances” from prehistoric times, evolving through the Warring States period’s “Xialiba People,” the Han Dynasty’s “Ba People’s Ballads,” the Tang Dynasty’s “Bamboo Branch Songs,” and eventually forming into Mudong Mountain Songs during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

　　The main form of Mudong Mountain Songs is the hoeing song known as Helai. Helai is only found in and around Mudong and is a rare variety among Chinese folk songs. It has strong regional characteristics and a rich variety of melodies and songs. The major styles include High-pitched Helai, Short-pitched Helai, Level-pitched Helai, Flower Helai, and Eight-Line Helai, among others. These styles also include several subtypes—for instance, High-pitched Helai includes Yiyahelai, Yehelai, Luoguchang, Yiyichang, Yayachang, Sipingchang, Ohuhechang, Wuochang, and Youhechang.

　　Another important category of Mudong Mountain Songs is children’s tunes. Their lyrical forms and melodic features closely resemble the Bamboo Branch Songs traditionally passed down among the Ba-Yu people since the Tang Dynasty, making them the “direct descendants” of Bamboo Branch Songs in the Mudong area. Song titles include “Mountain Songs Are Easy to Sing but Hard to Begin,” “Walking into the Deep Mountains, Rain Is Coming,” “New Look of Mudong,” and “Going to Market.”

　　Mudong Mountain Songs also include various other types such as labor chants, ceremonial songs, and performance songs. There are thousands of song pieces and numerous folk singers. In 1991, when Chongqing Municipality named its first group of 40 folk singers, 37 came from Mudong—including all four top-tier singers capable of performing over 500 songs. Mudong also produced a monograph titled “Mudong Mountain Songs” spanning over 300,000 characters, which was publicly published in December 2005. In 1990, the Mudong area was designated by Chongqing as the “Hometown of Mountain Songs,” and in 1999, Mudong Mountain Songs were named an “Outstanding Folk Art of Ba-Yu.”

　　Due to changes in production and lifestyle, most mountain songs have lost their nurturing and thriving foundation. The aging and passing of older generations of singers have led to a break in transmission, putting Mudong Mountain Songs in a state of endangerment. Rescuing and protecting Mudong Mountain Songs can not only enrich the art of Ba-Yu folk songs but also promote the diversity and development of Chinese folk music.