Regional Differences in Chinese Folk Songs

Peter Weng

Chinese Folk Song

Folk songs are the earliest forms of music developed in human social life. Because the folk songs come from the people, they are the foundation of all musical arts. Chinese folk songs are composed and sung by the working class in their daily life and working time. The majority of folk songs were composed orally instead of recording the sheet music which is one of the reasons that caused the diversity. In the process of transmission, it is constantly filtered, transformed, processed and refined by many folk musicians and becomes better and better. In all ages, folk songs are the treasure of the collective intelligence and talent of the working class.

Chinese folk songs have been around for thousands of years. Compared with the previous dynasties, the folk songs are the most popular in the Zhou Dynasty. Many musical instruments and art forms were created (Ningning Wang, 2019). The Classic of Poetry known as Shijing in Chinese is the first work to collect ancient Chinese poetry, and also the first record of folk songs in China (Shijing Chinese Literature, n.d.). It is a collection of 305 folk songs which were based on love, religion, and social issues. It was formed by people’s life experiences and thoughts from various regions during the times from the Western Zhou Dynasty to the mid–Spring and Autumn Period in ancient China (Chinese Music, n.d.).

The Wind known as Feng or Guofeng in Chinese is one of anthologies from The Classic of Poetry. It is the earliest anthology of folk songs in China (Shijing Chinese Literature, n.d.). The majority of the folk songs in Feng are written in four-character verse. These folk songs are of the northern China style, which is distinguished by simple, natural, and poetic content. Metaphor is commonly used in the Feng. Folk music developed further after that. In the Tang Dynasty, Folk songs were widely circulated and applied. The “Quzi” which is a musical form in that period was the favorite of people, and more processing and adaptation were carried out (Jie Jin, 2011). “Quzi” is filled with various lyrics. Although the Tang Dynasty’s “Quzi” is still derived from folk melodies, it has been detached from the original form and changed gradually. “Quzi” was the prototype of modern Chinese folk music.

Folk music received more and more attention in the Song Dynasty. It was the foundation for other forms of folk arts. People began to write lyrics in folk songs. After a long period, there was a great migration of the population in the Ming and Qing dynasties. A vast number of people flocked to cities. As the population grew, folk songs from the countryside began to make their way into the city. Citizens and artists used and polished these folk songs, and folk song editions were gradually released (Jie Jin, 2011). Chinese folk music continues to develop. It takes on new forms as a result of the growing population exchange between rural and urban areas. Folk music blossomed during this time. Chinese folk songs initially formed.

Modern Chinese folk songs are inextricably linked to people’s lives. They are both an essential part of people’s lives and their most intimate partners. They reflect and express many aspects of the working class, including, thoughts, feelings, wishes, and aspirations. Chinese folk songs have strong regional characters. They are related to traditional lifestyles, local people’s personalities, and regional culture.

The “Meng Chiang Nyu’s Lament”

The “Meng Chiang Nyu’s Lament” is a Jiangsu traditional folk song. The song tells a sadand tragic love story. The lyrics are about a woman named Meng Chiang Nyu trying to find herhusband who is forced to take away by Qin Shihuang (the Qin Dynasty Emperor), the emperor of the Qin Dynasty to build the Great Wall. When she arrived at the Great Wall, she realized that her husband had passed away. She was desperate and heartbroken. The “Meng Chiang Nyu’s Lament” expresses the ancient people’s aversion to war. Meng Chiang Nyu and her husband aretwo main characters of this song. They were two representatives of the working people in servitude. Their experience depicts a common situation of tons of lower-class people forced to perish by rigorous labor and separated from their family. This song highlights the people’s determination to anti-tyranny and pursue peace, as well as their sympathy for Meng Chiang Nyu’s painful bereavement.

Jiangsu’s folk songs are popular among the people of Jiangsu Province. They are also referred to as Jiangnan folk tunes. Because of Jiangsu’s geographical location at the junction of North and South China, as well as its big population, Jiangnan folk songs have diverse genres. Jiangsu is known for its graceful waterways and lush willows which makes the city full of poetic beauty, most people there are richer than other regions. Thus the style of Jiangsu folk songs is more joyous, especially praising the good living quality and reflecting the Jiangsu’s local cultural characteristics and pretty view.

Jiangsu’s folk songs can be classified into two genres which are north Jiangsu style and south Jiangsu style. Despite the fact that they are all from Jiangsu, their emotional expressions are extremely different. The northern style is full of enthusiasm, and the lyrics’ meaning is obvious and intuitive. However the southern style is complete antithesis. Its characteristics are gentle, tortuous, and soft. The lyrics’ meaning of south Jiangsu is filled with connotations. The “Meng Chiang Nyu’s Lament” is a Jiangsu folk song from the south. The song sounds pretty except for the melancholy emotion of Meng Chiang Nyu’s story. In order to make the song more vibrant, special musical processing is necessary. It incorporates several Jiangnan-inspired characteristics.

The “Meng Chiang Nyu’s Lament” is a piece of “Xiaodiao”, a Chinese music genre that includes a wide range of performances that are rich in form and reflect all aspects of society. Even though “Xiaodiao” is wide-used in many regions, Jiangsu has its own character. The song “Meng Chiang Nyu’s Lament” sounds like the speaker tells the audience a narrative story with the melody, and the emotional expression is more subtle. Jiangsu’s “Xiaodiao” character is fully portrayed in it. As the song progresses, the tempo is slow and the range of the register is small. In other words, there is no huge change of the register in the song. Otherwise, the interval relationship is relatively stable, and almost all intervals are below the fourth, the sound of this song is harmonious. Additionally, the chordal progression is smooth and peaceful. What makes this piece unique is the extensive use of the Chinese pentatonic scale. The Chinese pentatonic scale is the traditional Chinese musical scale that is used in most Chinese pieces. It is the collection of five notes do, re, mi, so, la in per octave (Jie Jin, 2011). This song does not use the “Shang” and “Yu” keys which contain sad emotions. In contrast, the composer uses the “gong” key which sounds much happier . The acoustics and tonal qualities of this song surprised the audiences. The use of the “Gong” key creates a unique feeling, it does not bring out Meng Chiang Nyu’s inner sadness, but instead transforms the strong emotions of the character into a kind of miserable inner monologue. Other than that, it hides the fierce heart in the petite and weak characters, making the expression of emotion more subtle and deep. All of these characteristics depict a typical Jiangnan woman at that time, with her effeminate and euphemistic personality.

The “Little Cabbage”

“Little Cabbage” is a well-known Chinese folk song from Hebei. The lyrics of this song describe a young girl who lost her mother when she was a child. After the death of her mom, her father is the only person on whom she can rely, and she is eager to be loved by him. However, fate played a trick on her. Her father remarried and had a child soon after. Her father and stepmother only focused on her younger brother, with no caring for the young girl’s feelings. The entire family, including her little brother, bullies the little girl. She couldn’t get enough food to eat or warm clothes to wear. Her family’s agony will never end. The little girl misses her mother every day and wants to get her mother’s love. But her mother will never come back; she can only meet her in the dream. This song’s background not only reveals the prevalence of patriarchal mentality in Chinese feudal society at that time, but also demonstrates its influence on people’s beliefs. Most families in Hebei make their living through agriculture and animal husbandry. As a result, men are regarded by families as the primary labor force, while women are restricted by many rules. The Hebei folk songs are an ancient Han nationality music. Its characteristics are straightforward, honest, melancholy, lonesome. It reflects the temperament of Hebei Province’s working people of all ethnic groups. The majority of the songs reflect real life. In particular, they express the living conditions and feelings for most of the working class who live in the low tier of society with no education, while some complimentary historical figures.

The “Little Cabbage” has the same genre as the previous song “The Meng Chiang Nyu’s Lament.” Two of them are in “Xiaodiao,” and they are both narratives. The audience only needs to follow the melody of the music so that they are able to understand the content of the song. Although the music genre is the same, due to regional influences, the main character of “Xiaodiao” changed. In contrast to Jiangsu folk songs, which have deep connotations, Hebei folk songs are more likely to reveal the content of the songs explicitly in the lyrics. This is because of the location. Hebei is located in northern China. The geography in that area is varied, with mountains, plains, and seas. The vast terrain and towering peaks not only inspired the unique style of Hebei folk music, but also formed the straightforward character of the Hebei people. Hebei has its own native dialect, which is more straightforward than Jiangsu’s soft and circumlocutory dialect.understand the content of the song. Although music genre is the same, due to the regional influences, the main character of “Xiaodiao” changed. In contrast to Jiangsu folk songs, which have deep connotations, Hebei folk songs are more likely to reveal the content of the songs explicitly in the lyrics. This is because of the location. Hebei is located in northern China. The geography in that area is varied, with mountains, plains, and seas. The vast terrain and towering peaks not only inspired the unique style of Hebei folk music but also formed the straightforward character of the Hebei people. Hebei has its own native dialect, which is more straightforward than Jiangsu’s soft and circumlocutory dialect.

Conclusion

Chinese folk music has been passed down for thousands of years. People have continued to filter, transform, process, and polish it throughout millennia, resulting in modern Chinese folk music. Chinese folk music gradually spread throughout the country year by year. Following it, a series of new musical styles show up. The influence of regional elements is inextricably linked with the development of Chinese folk music’s diversity. Jiangsu and Hebei have distinct cultures, and the people who live there blend their own perspectives on life to produce a wide range of folk music. The two representative folk songs from two separate locations are “Meng Chiang Nyu’s Lament” and “Little Cabbage.” The regional distinctions are clearly visible in these two songs.

References

Jin, J. (2011). Chinese Music. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.

Wang, N. (2019). A History of Ancient Chinese Music and Dance. United States: American Academic Press.

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica (2025, April 23). Shijing Chinese Literature. Encyclopedia Britannica. The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica (2025, April 23). Chinese Music. Encyclopedia Britannica.