Text/Jinyang.com reporter Li Haichan Chen Xiaopeng Correspondent Wang Dingquan
Not long ago, Li Kemei, a national intangible cultural heritage inheritor who lives in Xunliaowan Fishery Village in Huidong, appeared on CCTV stage and sang a song “Foot Sea Fisherman Songs” in Beijing. This melody song from the sea, mixed with cool sea breeze, vividly demonstrates the cultural characteristics of the southern coastal culture. As a traditional folk art in Guangdong and a treasure of Huizhou’s intangible cultural heritage, Huidong Fisherman’s Song has slowly walked out of the coast of the small county town and sung the whole country.
Fishers pick up the fisherman’s songs at will and sing with their hearts
Fishermen use the waves as their pillows and sing against the moon. It seems romantic, but it is actually full of infinite loneliness and boredom. According to Huidong County Chronicles, since the Song Dynasty, this shallow sea fisherman’s song from the coast of Fujian to Huidong has been widely circulated in the local area. Over the past thousands of years, it has experienced ups and downs. In recent years, government agencies and civil forces have worked together to promote the development of fisherman songs, and have found a point of fit between the thousand-year-old fisherman songs and modern aesthetic needs, which has rejuvenated.
Story: Fisherman’s songs are on CCTV stage
“Come (Ah) and the water is gone, and a pair of lobsters hide their feet…” Recently, the reporter met Li Qumei, and she sang this typical Huidong fisherman’s song “A pair of lobsters hide their feet” and said Babaylan was amazed. He spoke softly and smiled. Once he started singing, the 68-year-old grandma next door was like a different person, with her singing crisp and loud voice and her eyes firm and confident.
The ancestors moved to Huidong from the Chaoshan coastal area. I remember that Li Kemei lived a life of swimming and fishing on the sea with her parents. Only in severe weather when it is windy and rainy can the boat be temporarily parked on the shore for rest and replace daily necessities. In her impression, life at sea was so difficult and poor that she was the only one of the four sisters in the family. Whenever Li Kemei thinks of this, she can’t help but wet her eyes.
CinemaLuckily, she is accompanied by Fisherman’s Song. When her father was fishing, her mother took her to weave fishing nets while singing. “A pair of lobsters hidden in the reef” is the first fishing song she learned. Through the influence of hearing, Li Qumei fell in love with singing. When she is drying fishing nets, she alwaysHe would gather with countless young girls from fishing families to learn to sing fishing songs passed down by his fathers.
LiBabaylanQuemei likes to teach her children to sing fishermen’s songs/Huizhou Daily
Until 8 years old, many fishermen could finally “wash their feet and go ashore”, and Li Qumei’s family also moved into the fishing village and brought the fishing songs to the shore. Slowly, Li Qumei learned to “create” fisherman’s songs by herself and sang them as soon as she spoke, “No need to sing or practice, sing whatever she saw, listen to what she wanted, and sing as much as she wanted.” Later, because her family fell ill, 20-year-old Li Qumei went out to sea to fish and made money, and singing fisherman’s songs became her only sustenance.
Li Kemei has never read a book, but with her good memory, she can sing dozens of Huidong original fisherman songs in one breath. She is a veritable “Quanku” of Huidong fisherman songs and has also become one of the only two national intangible cultural heritage inheritors in Huizhou City. Babaylan
Now, Li Kemei has a fishing song class at home, so that the village fishing song enthusiasts and children can have a place to learn. The reporter saw at home that her home was not wide, but she stored a lot of clothing, hats, headdresses and other performance items. Before each performance, she also paid for her children to buy water, performance costumes, and music.
Dialogue: Start a class at home to inherit fishing Komiks Song
Reporter: What do you feel like to be rated as a national intangible cultural heritage inheritor?
Li Kemei: I haven’t even succeeded in the three years of continuous application for Babaylan, and I’m a little uneasy anymore. When I heard this news, I was doing a headdress for the performance and felt very excited! (Happy laugh) I quickly told my husband and family that it was very hard to do this (inherited fisherman song) and many placesFang wants to spend money, but I can’t do it without the support of my family. The second one is that if my sisters were still there, I would be happier to know that I had the results today. (Chistening)
Some areas along the coast of Huidong still retain the custom of singing fishermen’s songs
Reporter: You are now at a certain age, how can you continue to sing fishermen’s songs next?
Li Kemei: I am 68 this year, almost 70 years old, and I have had surgery on my waist, but I will be very happy to sing fisherman songs. I will go outside to participate in competitions, perform at the wedding, and teach people to sing fisherman songs at home when I have time. You see (pointing to the ground), there are still many clothes, hats, and headdresses here… But there is a problem, that is, many people like fishing songs, but they also have to work. I have a student I like very much, but she has to work at home and make money, so she can’t continue to come, which makes me very worried. But after the country gave that honor (intangible cultural heritage inheritor), I had the obligation to spread fishing songs, and I would still insist on singing fishing songs.
【Context Archives】
The Past and Present Life of Huidong Fisherman’s Song
Origin: Hard Sea Life Raised Fisherman’s Song
According to the “Huidong County Chronicles”, the distant ancestors of the fishermen in Huidong’s sea were the primitive “Danmin”, also known as “the back boat is the people”, which is an integral part of the “Baiyue people” in southern my country. According to the “Huidong Fisheries”, the ancestors of Huidong Dan people moved in through trade or escape from Fujian and Chaozhou, and were distributed in Pinghai, ports, Renshan Fanhe and other harbors.
“Going to sea and going ashore and walking down” is a true portrayal of the lives of the gang people. The people of Dan have been facing the sea and blue sky for a long time, so they naturally chose to enjoy themselves and relieve worries through singing. It can be said that Huidong Fisherman Song is the spiritual pillar of local fishermen, allowing them to gain the confidence and courage to survive in a difficult living environment. Liao Zhitao, director of Huidong County Cultural Center, introduced that for thousands of years, in this specific area of boring life at sea, fishermen have passed on their mouths, and they can pick it up and sing as they like, both men, women, young and old.
Development: Zeng famous and was on the verge of losing.
After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the development of Huidong Fisherman’s Song once reached a climax. In 1956, a fisherman from Huidong Port Town participated in a national folk song performance,When it comes to the praise and reception of the leaders of the national leaders such as Zhou Enlai; in the 1960s, the large-scale fisherman’s opera “The Great Wall of the South China Sea” created by the Central Song and Dance Theater became famous, and its musical materials were taken from the “Girl’s Talk” and “Oh O’s Talk…
Fisherman’s Song Performance Photo/Huizhou Music Radio
But this prosperity did not continue. KomiksLiao Zhitao introduced that with the acceleration of industrialization and urban processes, most of the descendants of fishermen have abandoned their own businesses after they came ashore. Coupled with the impact of multiculturalism such as pop songs, there are fewer and fewer singers in Huidong fishermen’s songs. “Once there are only a dozen fishermen left in the county, and the inheritance of fishermen’s songs is in trouble. “Liao Zhitao said.
Just when the original ecological fishing songs were in danger, the appearance of an old man gave a new turning point in the development of fishing songs. He was Ye Lin, former specialist of the Ministry of Culture and a member of the Education Committee of the Chinese Music Association. When he was young, he was one of the many people who came to Huidong to investigate fishing songs. He was fascinated by it after getting to know them. After retirement, this old man who used to be a “lonely man” was obsessed with Huidong fishing songs, and traveled many times between Beijing and Guangdong, and wrote hundreds of thousands of words of Huidong fishing song paper materials.
When he saw the development status of Huidong fishing songs at that time, Ye LaobeiCinema feels a pity. Out of cherishing folk art, he strongly called on all walks of life to pay attention to Huidong Fisherman’s Song, and actively supported Huidong Cultural Department to apply to the state for the “Huidong Fisherman’s Song” as a national intangible cultural heritage, and proposed a plan to promote and develop Huidong Fisherman’s Song.
Inheritance: Fisherman’s Song style is moved to the wedding festival
As fisherman’s songs have been selected into the provincial and national intangible cultural heritage list, government departments have also introduced corresponding protection and rescue measures. Over the years, music workers in Huidong County have actively collected, sorted and studied Huidong Fisherman’s Song, established Huidong Fisherman’s Song database, so that it can be returned to people’s attention.
CinemaAt present, it is still retained in some areas along Huidong coastal areas.Li Kemei is often invited to perform at the wedding ceremony of the fisherman’s wedding, reunion of relatives, and festival banquets. According to reports, the wedding followed the customs of fishermen such as boat picking up boats and viewing flowers, and the surrounding fisherman’s songs of blessings also rang out at the same time.
Scene photo of the performance of “The Singing of the Banjia”/Huizhou Music Radio
Fisher songs are sung by relatives and friends of both parties in the form of songs, and are usually sung for an hour or two. “It is usually the woman who cries and marrys, and the man and the woman make fun of it, but it is more auspicious words.” Songs are considered to be one of the most essential links in the fisherman’s wedding customs. The fisherman’s wedding can be as few as two or three days, and the most is as many as five days. The strong folk customs of fishermen can attract everyone to watch every time, and many people spread it online, making the fisherman’s song more popular as he sang. “Eat Xunliao special dishes while watching fisherman’s song performances”, it can be seen everywhere in Xunliao’s tourist restaurants, effectively integrating fishing song culture into the tourism industry, making it a major feature of Huidong tourist attractions. It is understood that Huizhou Tourism Department adapted the fisherman’s wedding customs into a cultural performance project for tourists to perform Cinema, which is sought after by tourists.
Current situation: New vitality has appeared, but there are still worries about losing it.
In the new era, this shining pearl on the coast of the South China Sea has regained new vitality. “In the past, the subjects tend to be more bitter and love between men and women.” Liao Zhitao introduced that if you still use fisherman song materials to create songs, it will not meet the development needs of fisherman songs. Therefore, on the basis of retaining the basic melody and flavor of Cinema songs, local musicians in Huizhou have constantly changed the tune and wrote new lyrics to make the fisherman’s songs meet the aesthetic needs of modern Komiks.
Pinghai Fisherman’s Song Art Troupe, a private non-profit social group, is one of the typical examples. Komiks According to reports, the art troupe was established in 2017. In just two years, the team has attracted more than 50 members, not only the inheritor of fishing songs, but also music teachers, Huizhou musicians and other professionals.
In order to bring Huidong fishing songs to the stage and resonate with more audiences, the art troupe has created a second creation of many original fishing songs. For example, “The Song of the Dan Family”, which mainly describes the story of the Dan people being distraught in the old society because they were unable to raise their daughters and the Dan people in the new society lived a happy life. The art troupe has carried out innovations such as environmental change, dialect and Mandarin conversion, and emotional change. What everyone did not expect was that the first stop of the work was performed in Pinghai, which made the audience cry.
When they wear traditional clothes and sing fisherman’s songs, it is particularly eye-catching. Photo/Huizhou Daily
Liao Zhitao was also calm. With the continuous deepening of inheritance work, the problem of insufficient funds is becoming increasingly prominent. “Cultural (development) requires investment. “Liao Zhitao introduced that Pinghai Fisherman’s Song Art Troupe usually carries out singing activities for public welfare, and fishing BabaylanThe work of entering the campus and the community, creating, rehearsal and other work requires investment, and the funds are short of funds.