HOME

Scenery
  • Natural Scenery
  • Historic Sites
  • Nature Reserves
  • City Guide
  • Cultural Travel
Traditions
  • Myths and Legends
  • Festivals and Customs
  • Clothing and Ornaments
  • Folk Handicraft
  • Folk Art
  • Folk Residences
  • Ethnic Minority
Kaleidoscope
  • Medicine and Healthcare
  • Food Culture
  • Chinese Kungfu
  • Science and Invention
  • Games
  • Ming and Qing Furniture
  • Traditional Trades
Arts
  • Calligraphy and Painting
  • Sculpture
  • Architecture
  • Opera
  • Music and Dance
  • Artwork
History and Literature
  • Historical Figures
  • Historical Events
  • Archeology
  • Classics
  • Anecdotes
  • Literature
  • Humanistic Spirit
  • Antique Appreciation
  • Learn Chinese Characters
  • Q & A on Traditions
  • China Overview
  • Feature
  • E-book
  • Appreciation of Poems
  • Greeting Card
  • WallPaper

Traditions -> Folk Art

Ancient Songs of the Miao Minority

  • 1
  • 2

  • ADD TO FAVORITE
  • PRINTER FRIENDLY
  •  

Yazhou Folk Song

Yazhou Folk Song
Yazhou folk song is one of the ancient styles of Hainan folk song. It is popular in Sanya,...

Ziyang Folk Songs

Ziyang Folk Songs
Ziyang folk songs are the general name of folk songs in Ziyang County, Shaanxi Province, and the...

Cigarette Case Dance of Yi Ethnic Group

Cigarette Case Dance of Yi Ethnic Group
Cigarette case dance of Yi ethnic group in Shiping, also known as "tiaoxian" or "longzong", is a...

Ancient Songs of the Miao Minority is the myth of poetic style that takes creation as its main contents. It is popular in the residence area of Miao, an ethnic group of China. The folk oral literary work is an epic created by the ancestors of the Miao people in their long time of production and work.

The contents of Ancient Songs of the Miao Minority are very vast, from the emergence of the universe, the origination of human beings and all the species, and the big flood at the beginning when the universe was created and man first appeared on the earth to the great migration, the ancient social systems and the production and lives of the Miao minority. So it is the summarization of the ancient myths of the Miao ethnics. The whole poem includes four parts, all of which are the five-word structure and follows the rhyme of the Miao dialect. The poem employs a large number of figures of speech and molds more than one hundred people with names and family names. It vividly reflects the interpretation to heaven and earth and the origination of all the creatures and human beings by the ancient people of the Miao minority and the feat of creating history of man through hard efforts of those ancient people. So we can detect that the poem is full of romantic and idealist color. 

Because the ancient Miao minority had no written language, the whole epic has been orally handed down. The ancient songs are mostly sung in folk activities, wedding and funeral ceremonies, gathering of friends and relatives and folk festivals. Most of the actors are old people, wizard, singers, etc. It is usually carried out in the competition form and can be played successively for several days. The musical instruments for playing the background music are mainly Xiaotong, Mangtong and benches. It was not until the 1950s that the text written in the language of the Miao minority of the ancient songs was published. So far, the collected ancient songs of the Miao minority are approaching 300,000 characters.

Ancient Songs of the Miao minority reflects the Miao people's philosophical ideas of animism, sacredness of life, equality of human beings, and the harmony and coexistence between man and nature. It is also the encyclopedia that combines the history, ethics, customs, clothes, architecture, climate, etc., of the Miao minority. As a result, it is embedded of very high research values. So far, the ancient myths are still sung among the people.

search

More Topics

    Dongba Art
    Dongba Art
    Dongba Art is the primitive religious art special of the Naxi ethnics who live in the frontier...
    Festive Clothes of the Miao Ethnic Group
    Festive Clothes...
    Festive clothes of the Miao ethnic group are the clothes worn at Miao festivals and sacrificial...
    Dragon-boat Festival:
    Dragon-boat...
    As a festival of the Miao minority, the Dragon-boat Festival is celebrated in the form of...
    Silver Ornaments of the Miao Ethnic Group
    Silver Ornaments...
    The Miao girls fancy silver ornaments, and wherever they live, their dresses, especially their...
    Jiahu Bone Flute and Primitive Music
    Jiahu Bone Flute...
    The bone flute excavated from the Jiahu ruins in Wuyang County of Henan Province is the earliest...
    The Miao Nationality
    The Miao Nationality
    The Miao ethnic minority has a population of 8,940,116 which is larger than most of minority...

Related Books

  • A Reader on China (Cultural China)

    Intended for general interest readers, this one-volume book provides a basic, introductory guide...
  • Chinese Landscapes (ESSAYS) (Cultural...

    Included in this book are landscape essays by twelve well-known modern and contemporary Chinese...
  • Snapshots of a New China: Culture...

    There are plenty of wonderful books about China that focus on tangible cultural artifacts. But...
    • About Us | Statement

      © 2007-2010 cultural-china.com. All rights reserved.