Dance and music are lifelong companions of the Tujia people living in Changyang of western Hubei Province.
Distinctive folk dances and songs, which have been passed down through the generations, play a profound part of the lives of every member of the Tujia people.
The songs reflect the Changyang people's belief that they are as diversified and colourful as their life. And arguably the most exemplary of such songs is the "wedding wail song," which has its root embedded in Tujia tradition.
All new brides must begin to wail two weeks before their wedding. Tears are a symbol of their reluctance to leave their parents and friends. On the eve of the wedding, a bride and her women friends sit around a fire and sing the "wedding wail song" to express their love for their parents.
From the late 1950s to the 1980s, the local government collected about 10,000 folk songs. Many of the songs spread beyond Changyang and were even performed in foreign countries.
"Nanqu" is an indelible part of various important occasions like wedding, birthday and festivals.
A type of royal music originating during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), "Nanqu" is still popular in Changyang and is now regarded as one of the cultural treasures of the area.
"Nanqu" performers are invited to play varied tunes on different occasions.
Since Tujia people believe that when a person is dead, their spirit is still alive and cannot live without music and dance in the other world, they are thus accustomed to marking their passing by dancing and singing happily.
This optimistic view of life and death has led to a proliferation of funeral dances among the Tujia people, such as the "Tiaosang" dance.
People come from a wide area to pay their respects to the dead. The coffin sits in the centre of the square, and a large drum is set before the coffin. The funeral is started by a master beating the drum with friends and relatives coming to sing and dance with the drumbeats.
The "Tiaosang" dance is simple and graceful, with most of the movements mirroring people's working and daily life.
Of course, there are some taboos about the dance. Usually, women cannot join in, and if the deceased was young, there can be no "Tiaosang" dance at the funeral.
Since the 1970s, some local dancers have studied these traditional festivities and created the "Bashan" dance, which integrates modern style with a primitive flavour.
The hybrid dance has become a popular method of relaxation in Changyang and other cities in Hubei Province in Central China.
"Maogusi," a primitive drama, might be a "living fossil" of the Tujia ancient culture.
The dance of "Maogusi" needs around 16 people, with an elder called "Babu Father" as head while the others are juniors.
All of them will be dressed with straw, couch grass and leaves, with even their faces covered. There are five plaits made of palm leaves on their head - four of the plaits are bent down slightly, hanging from four sides while the other is put between the dancers' legs as a symbol of masculinity.
The "Maogusi" dance is unique in its form and content. The dancers will speak and sing songs in local dialects the entire time.
Their appearances are funny and humorous. They advance and retreat in quick short steps, or go down on their knees and shake their bodies, or jump and swing from right to left, quivering all over.
Most "Maogusi" dances are about the history, fishing, marriage and working of the Tujia people. Some might last six days and nights.
Another interesting Tujia folk dance is the "Roulianxiang," a typical male dance, and "Huaguzi," a form of entertainment for joyous occasions.
With the development of local tourism, the Tujia folk culture in Changyang has attracted increasing attention in the country. In 1995, Changyang was crowned as a County of Folk Arts by the Hubei provincial government.
(China Daily October 29, 2001)
