Folk Customs in Shanglin

In the course of hunting and farming, the ancestors of the Yao people made tremendous sacrifices to defend the fruits of their labour and protect the homeland passed down through generations. To commemorate this chapter of history, Yao villagers sing folk songs, beat drums and perform dances. They turn the cultural memories handed down from their forefathers into vivid artistic works, weaving remembrance for ancestors and deep love for their land into every note, every line of lyrics and every movement.

Centered in Zhenxu Yao Township, the Shanglin Yao Monkey Drum Dance prevails widely along the border between Shanglin County and Mashan County. It is a traditional folk dance among the Bunu Yao people living in mountainous areas and boasts a long history.

According to legend, in ancient times, the Yao hero Bunu rallied Yao villagers from all stockades to resist the invading Jin troops. The Yao fighters got lost deep in the forest. Fortunately, an elderly monkey king came to their rescue. Not only did he lead them out of the wilderness, but he also helped them seize the chance to defeat the enemy.

On the 29th day of the fifth lunar month of the Nongli Calendar, all Yao warriors returned to their villages victorious.

To express gratitude to the monkey king, the hero Bunu took the lead in beating leather drums while singing and dancing wildly. This singing and dancing in praise of the monkey king laid the foundation for the Monkey Drum Dance.

The Shanglin Yao Monkey Drum Dance was created, refined and developed by the Bunu Yao people during their migrations and struggles against the rule of the Jin Dynasty. This well-structured traditional dance with rich content fully demonstrates the wisdom of the Yao ethnic group, reflecting their diligence, bravery, perseverance, sincerity, boldness and generosity of spirit.

Lively and varied in rhythm, the dance perfectly integrates drumming, dancing, instrumental accompaniment and vocal singing. It features a joyous, vigorous and powerful style. It is the most important sacrificial dance performed by the Bunu Yao on every major festival.

During performances, dancers dress up as monkeys. They hunch their chests slightly, bend their elbows and keep their knees naturally bent at 25 or 45 degrees. When stepping forward and stamping their feet, they shake their elbows and hands simultaneously. The monkey king strikes the large leather drum with hands and elbows, while young monkeys dance up and down to the beats of drums and cymbals. They pull funny faces, fan the monkey king, cling to him playfully, or sneak wine from his gourd, vividly capturing the agility and liveliness of monkeys.

The dance vividly records the history and folk life of the Yao people, embodying harmonious coexistence between humans and nature. It is also a precious heritage of the Luoyue culture in the Lingnan region. On May 30, 2012, the Shanglin Yao Monkey Drum Dance was inscribed on the fourth batch of the Representative List of Regional Intangible Cultural Heritage of Guangxi. Luo Yanwu is the fourth-generation inheritor of this dance.

Yao folk songs are a splendid flower among the ethnic music of China’s minority groups. Resonant and melodious, delicate and soul-stirring, they are beloved by the Yao people and other ethnic communities, making them a landmark of Yao culture.

Singing folk songs is a favourite pastime for the Yao, a nation famed for singing and dancing. In breaks from farm work, Yao farmers can burst into impromptu songs right after putting down their hoes. Young Yao men and women often express love through duets. Shanglin Yao folk songs have a distinctive style, most notably their improvisation. Both lyrics and melodies are composed freely based on daily work and life. Verses such as "The sun stands high at noon; my body grows weary when my shadow lies beneath my feet" are plain, vivid and artistically appealing.

An ancient custom has long been observed in Yao villages: when guests arrive, the host strikes a bamboo tube three times at the mountain pass at the village entrance. Upon hearing the signal, the village chief blows a buffalo horn in reply, then gathers villagers to greet the guests with folk songs. This welcoming ritual has been passed down from generation to generation, keeping the folk songs alive to this day. Yao people also sing to express feelings and aspirations during weddings, funerals, sacrificial ceremonies, migrations and festivals, as well as farm work. After generations of oral inheritance, revision and polishing, Shanglin Yao folk songs have developed into formal folk music with fixed tunes that fit perfectly with rhyming lyrics.

They are divided into four-part chants, two-part antiphonal singing and solo performances. Each stanza consists of four five-character lines with consistent rhymes, featuring neat structure and harmonious rhythm. Thematically, they fall into love songs, marriage songs, work songs, ancient historical ballads and laments.

Since the Yao people historically had no written script, folk songs have become a core symbol of their culture, so greater attention is paid to their inheritance and development. Shanglin Yao folk songs preserve a wealth of precious historical materials about Yao customs, production and folk culture in the region. They represent the essence of Yao culture and a treasure of Chinese civilization. Today, the inheritance base of Yao folk songs is located in Zhenma Street, Zhenxu Town, Shanglin County.

On May 30, 2012, Shanglin Yao folk songs were included in the fourth batch of the Representative List of Regional Intangible Cultural Heritage of Guangxi. Lu Cheng, the fourth-generation inheritor, was named a municipal-level representative inheritor of Nanning in 2013.