MUZI MUZIChinese Matrix

Mountain Songs (Shan'ge)

Across the hills, a song and its answer

Introduction

Han songs sung out loud in hills, fields and on the water: xintianyou, Hakka mountain songs, Wu songs and fishermen's songs

Mountain songs are the Han folk songs sung out loud while working or travelling in the hills, the fields and on the water: free in rhythm, high in pitch, often antiphonal and mostly about love. They include the xintianyou and pashan tunes of northern Shaanxi and Inner Mongolia (II-73, II-91), the Hakka mountain songs of Meizhou (II-11), the Xingguo mountain songs (II-8), the Wu songs (I-22), the weeding gong-and-drum songs (II-27) and the fishermen's songs of many coasts and lakes. Bai Juyi's Pipa xing of 816 already mentions "mountain songs and village flutes", and in the late Ming Feng Menglong gathered over three hundred Wu mountain songs into his Shan'ge.

Timeline

Mid-Tang to present
816 · OriginIn the autumn of 816, demoted to Jiangzhou, Bai Juyi wrote Pipa xing, complaining of the local "mountain songs and village flutes, shrill and grating to the ear": an early dated use of the term shan'ge.1618 · EvolutionIn the late Ming, Feng Menglong recorded 359 folk mountain songs of the Suzhou area as they were sung and published them as Shan'ge (c. 1610-1618), calling them "the sound of the people's true feelings"; the book was later lost and was edited and published by Gu Jiegang in 1935.2006 · ImpactIn 2006 the Wu songs (I-22), the Zuoquan kaihua tunes (II-1), the Hequ folk songs (II-2), the Xingguo mountain songs (II-8) and the Meizhou Hakka mountain songs (II-11) entered the first national ICH list; the earliest mention of Wu song goes back to the wuyu of the Summons of the Soul in the Chu ci.2008 · ImpactIn 2008 the northern Shaanxi folk songs (II-73), the pashan tunes (II-91), the manhan tunes (II-92) and the Haimen mountain songs (II-94) joined the second list; northern Shaanxi song is led by the xintianyou, with Lanhuahua, Gan shengling and Sanshili pu among its best-known songs.
  1. 816OriginIn the autumn of 816, demoted to Jiangzhou, Bai Juyi wrote Pipa xing, complaining of the local "mountain songs and village flutes, shrill and grating to the ear": an early dated use of the term shan'ge.Literature › Song of the Pipa
  2. 1618EvolutionIn the late Ming, Feng Menglong recorded 359 folk mountain songs of the Suzhou area as they were sung and published them as Shan'ge (c. 1610-1618), calling them "the sound of the people's true feelings"; the book was later lost and was edited and published by Gu Jiegang in 1935.
  3. 2006ImpactIn 2006 the Wu songs (I-22), the Zuoquan kaihua tunes (II-1), the Hequ folk songs (II-2), the Xingguo mountain songs (II-8) and the Meizhou Hakka mountain songs (II-11) entered the first national ICH list; the earliest mention of Wu song goes back to the wuyu of the Summons of the Soul in the Chu ci.Literature › Songs of Chu: Summons of the Soul
  4. 2008ImpactIn 2008 the northern Shaanxi folk songs (II-73), the pashan tunes (II-91), the manhan tunes (II-92) and the Haimen mountain songs (II-94) joined the second list; northern Shaanxi song is led by the xintianyou, with Lanhuahua, Gan shengling and Sanshili pu among its best-known songs.

Heritage Listings

  1. 2006National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage1st batch · Ⅰ-22 Wu songs (folk literature) · no. 22 · nominated by Suzhou · Jiangsu
  2. 2006National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage1st batch · Ⅱ-1 Zuoquan kaihua tunes · no. 32 · nominated by Zuoquan County · Shanxi
  3. 2006National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage1st batch · Ⅱ-2 Hequ folk songs · no. 33 · nominated by Hequ County · Shanxi
  4. 2006National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage1st batch · Ⅱ-5 Dangtu folk songs · no. 36 · nominated by Ma'anshan · Anhui
  5. 2006National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage1st batch · Ⅱ-6 Chaohu folk songs · no. 37 · nominated by Chaohu · Anhui
  6. 2006National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage1st batch · Ⅱ-8 Xingguo mountain songs · no. 39 · nominated by Xingguo County · Jiangxi
  7. 2006National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage1st batch · Ⅱ-9 Xingshan folk songs · no. 40 · nominated by Xingshan County · Hubei
  8. 2006National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage1st batch · Ⅱ-10 Sangzhi folk songs · no. 41 · nominated by Sangzhi County · Hunan
  9. 2006National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage1st batch · Ⅱ-11 Meizhou Hakka mountain songs · no. 42 · nominated by Meizhou · Guangdong
  10. 2006National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage1st batch · Ⅱ-12 Zhongshan saltwater songs · no. 43 · nominated by Zhongshan · Guangdong
  11. 2006National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage1st batch · Ⅱ-14 Danzhou diaosheng · no. 45 · nominated by Danzhou · Hainan
  12. 2006National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage1st batch · Ⅱ-18 Ziyang folk songs · no. 49 · nominated by Ziyang County · Shaanxi
  13. 2006National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage1st batch · Ⅱ-26 Mudong mountain songs · no. 57 · nominated by Banan District · Chongqing
  14. 2006National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage1st batch · Ⅱ-27 Northern Sichuan weeding gong-and-drum songs · no. 58 · nominated by Qingchuan County · Sichuan
  15. 2008National list extension2nd batch · Ⅰ-22 Wu songs · Qingpu · Shanghai · Wuxi · Jiangsu
  16. 2008National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage2nd batch · Ⅰ-79 Tongcheng songs (folk literature) · no. 566 · nominated by Tongcheng · Anhui
  17. 2008National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage2nd batch · Ⅰ-81 Leizhou songs (folk literature) · no. 568 · nominated by Leizhou · Guangdong
  18. 2008National list extension2nd batch · Ⅱ-27 Weeding gong-and-drum songs (Wuning · Yichang · Wufeng Tujia · Xingshan · Xuan'en · Changyang mountain songs · eastern Sichuan Tujia) · Wuning · Jiangxi · Yichang · Wufeng · Xingshan · Xuan'en and Changyang · Hubei · Xuanhan · Sichuan
  19. 2008National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage2nd batch · Ⅱ-73 Northern Shaanxi folk songs · no. 572 · nominated by Yulin and Yan'an · Shaanxi
  20. 2008National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage2nd batch · Ⅱ-77 Dabie Mountains folk songs · no. 576 · nominated by Lu'an · Anhui
  21. 2008National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage2nd batch · Ⅱ-79 Xinyang folk songs · no. 578 · nominated by Xinyang · Henan
  22. 2008National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage2nd batch · Ⅱ-80 Xiping folk songs · no. 579 · nominated by Xixia County · Henan
  23. 2008National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage2nd batch · Ⅱ-81 Mashan folk songs · no. 580 · nominated by Jingzhou District · Hubei
  24. 2008National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage2nd batch · Ⅱ-82 Qianjiang folk songs · no. 581 · nominated by Qianjiang · Hubei
  25. 2008National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage2nd batch · Ⅱ-83 Lüjiahe folk songs · no. 582 · nominated by Danjiangkou · Hubei
  26. 2008National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage2nd batch · Ⅱ-85 Youyang folk songs · no. 584 · nominated by Youyang · Chongqing
  27. 2008National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage2nd batch · Ⅱ-86 Zhenba folk songs · no. 585 · nominated by Zhenba County · Shaanxi
  28. 2008National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage2nd batch · Ⅱ-87 Jiashan field songs · no. 586 · nominated by Jiashan County · Zhejiang
  29. 2008National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage2nd batch · Ⅱ-90 Luoluodong field songs · no. 589 · nominated by Jianli · Hubei
  30. 2008National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage2nd batch · Ⅱ-91 Pashan tunes · no. 590 · nominated by Hohhot and Urad Front Banner · Inner Mongolia
  31. 2008National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage2nd batch · Ⅱ-92 Manhan tunes · no. 591 · nominated by Jungar Banner · Inner Mongolia
  32. 2008National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage2nd batch · Ⅱ-93 Huidong fishermen's songs · no. 592 · nominated by Huidong County · Guangdong
  33. 2008National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage2nd batch · Ⅱ-94 Haimen mountain songs · no. 593 · nominated by Haimen · Jiangsu
  34. 2008National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage2nd batch · Ⅱ-95 Xinhua mountain songs · no. 594 · nominated by Xinhua County · Hunan
  35. 2008National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage2nd batch · Ⅱ-96 Yao'an bazi songs · no. 595 · nominated by Yao'an County · Yunnan
  36. 2011National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage3rd batch · Ⅱ-141 Jiujiang mountain songs · no. 1071 · nominated by Jiujiang County · Jiangxi
  37. 2011National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage3rd batch · Ⅱ-143 Tianmen folk songs · no. 1073 · nominated by Tianmen · Hubei
  38. 2011National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage3rd batch · Ⅱ-144 Lingao fishermen's songs · no. 1074 · nominated by Lingao County · Hainan
  39. 2011National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage3rd batch · Ⅱ-145 Midu folk songs · no. 1075 · nominated by Midu County · Yunnan
  40. 2014National list extension4th batch · Ⅱ-27 Weeding gong-and-drum songs (Jinhu rice-planting songs) · Jinhu County · Jiangsu
  41. 2014National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage4th batch · Ⅱ-157 Fishermen's songs (Dongting · Shanwei) · no. 1251 · nominated by Yueyang · Hunan · Shanwei · Guangdong
  42. 2014National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage4th batch · Ⅱ-158 Xiling mountain songs · no. 1252 · nominated by Dayi County · Sichuan
  43. 2021National list extension5th batch · Ⅱ-157 Fishermen's songs (Shengsi) · Shengsi County · Zhejiang
  44. 2021National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage5th batch · Ⅱ-172 Chongming mountain songs · no. 1386 · nominated by Chongming · Shanghai
  45. 2021National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage5th batch · Ⅱ-173 Nanzha folk songs · no. 1387 · nominated by Huai'an District · Jiangsu
  46. 2021National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage5th batch · Ⅱ-175 Tanka songs · no. 1389 · nominated by Sanya · Hainan