Aesthetic Study Of Miao Ancient Songs

Miao culture is a system with unique carrier,course and imprint.As Miao people have no written record in the past,their ancient songs have become one of the most important oral evidence,carrying the responsibility of Miao people to construct their own cultural system and maintain their local knowledge.The ancient songs of the Miao are composed of extremely rich cultural contents and symbols such as worship of belief,origin of all things,formation of the sun and the moon,migration of ethnic origin,derivation of gods,heroic entrepreneurship,astronomical calendar law,wars and campaigns,as well as the local traditions and customs,all of which play a vital role in Miao’s mysterious,colorful but unique cultures.Based on the collection,collation and reading of literature,this paper summarizes and analyzes the previous research results.The author takes the ancient songs of the central region in the Miao dialect area as the major research object.Besides,the author selects some ancient songs of the eastern and western Miao dialect areas and collects certain Miao ancient songs by her field investigation.The paper will try to carry out a comprehensive and systematic aesthetic study of Miao ancient songs in the basic theories and research methods of literature and art,aesthetics,ethnology and other disciplines.The main contents are as follows:First,the author defines and classifies Miao ancient songs and then analyzes Miao’s original thinking,mythology and rituals,and the their relations,on which she proposes that "singing Miao ancient songs is a special ritual”.The special ritual is presented by the singer’s dress,the way of singing,the content of singing,the place of presentation,and the chanting process,etc.It is an expression of the Miao’s cultural psychology in the worship of all things in heaven and earth,the memory of their ancestors,the feeling of the passing of love,as well as their customs and ethics.The ritual performance is a vital means to inherit and maintain Miao’s cultural belief,norms,customs,history and knowledge,and the significant reasons for its unique aesthetic culture in Miao ancient songs.Second,singing Miao ancient songs is an important way for Miao ancestors to attain "human-god communication",and also a means to achieve their aesthetic motivation.The communication between human beings and gods is based on the original belief system of the Miao formed under their primitive thinking.The main purpose of singing Miao ancient songs is to accept the oracle,speak for god and obtain the refuge of god so as to achieve the harmony between man and nature.Besides,it can strengthen the rationality’s consciousness toward their common ancestors,blood and destiny.Third,Miao ancient songs are an important way and content for this non-written ethnic group to attain the narration and civilization for their ethnic groups.The Miao ancestors achieved the education of the ethnic group’s ethics and norms,outlook on life and living,ethnic consciousness,views of love and marriage,history,knowledge and survival skills by singing and dancing in the ritual performance.In this civilization with utilitarian purpose,Miao ancient songs have sublimated to achieve certain aesthetic appeals.Fourth,the aesthetic features of the complex polysemy of Miao ancient songs,on the whole,are characterized by the mixture of "chaos and order".The aesthetic imagination of Miao ancient songs is manifested in three aspects: the chaotic world,the character image of chaos,and the narration of chaos The aesthetic form of Miao ancient songs shows a high degree of unity with Chinese traditional aesthetics,which contains the aesthetic forms of "neutralization and propensity","power and depression" as well as "simplicity and romance",and they complement each other.Based on this,the author further explains the particularity of the aesthetic consciousness of Miao ancient songs.First,Miao people have a strong desire for the salvation of supernatural forces in the harsh living environment.The expression of god’s emotion is transformed into the divine shape in the ritual,and the formation of the initial collective unconsciousness--"fear"."Fear" appears in the Miao’s spirit and real world for thousands of years as Miao ancestors have fears toward war,death,shortage of resources,and uncertainty of security,etc.The deeply rooted fears of Miao’s ancestors shaped the breathtaking and intriguing poetic temperament and aesthetic spirit in the Miao ancient songs.Second,Miao ancient songs are filled with people’s cultural identity and aesthetic consciousness of yearning for holiness and returning to the worldly life as they deeply realize that "sanctity is yearning,but worldly life is real" in the arduous real life.Therefore,they not only sing for divine gods but also the vivid worldly feelings and life in Miao ancient songs.Last not the least,the aesthetic consciousness of the Miao ancient songs transfers from entertaining gods to entertaining people.Specifically,they change from the solemn mystery,pleasing the gods to please the people and express their own feelings.In one word,Miao people believe in gods and themselves,and they are optimistic and tenacious survivals in the desolate world of suffering.