A Study Of The Weeding Song In Sichuan, China

This study supported fieldwork and research tries both a systematic introduction and preliminary investigation of weeding songs sung in the agricultural regions of Pingshanxian,Sichuan of China,focusing on their procedure and function as labor songs.In traditional agricultural economy of China,haocao(薅草) means the work of removing weeds from the farmland which peasants do in group according to the agricultual calendar.The luogu, which refers to a traditional Chinese gong and a drum,is a folk art of vocal music.When they perform a luogu,a leading singer(geshi) leads the song accompanied to a gong and drum before laboring peasants in group follow her or him. It is helpful to maintain a harmonious combination between rhythms of labor and its progress.This folk art has served farm laborers in reducing their fatigue when they work in the field as well as closely combining and edifying them in their rural community.Such a cultural phenomenon in Chinese folk life has a long history and appears in a wide distribution over the country,with its contents rich enough.Haocaoluogus(weeding songs) are widely destributed through various regions where Chinese people or some minority people live, which include Hunan,Yunnan,Guizhou,Sichuan, Chongqing City,Guangxi,and Gansu.We can find out that the weeding songs sung in the regions have some characteristics distinctive of each individual region.It is lamentable that now they almost disappear even though they are works of unique artistic values. If we neglect to collect and put in order these folklore materials, it is more than likely that the priceless inheritance of human civilization which has long contributed to enhance agricultural productivity while accompanying the communal life of eastern Asian people will be lost for good.