Xiaodiao: Small Tunes
Xiao Diao is popular among towns or countries and characterized by fixed melody and lyrics, orderly structure, and subtle and melodious tunes. The participation of some professional artisans and men of letters in writing lyrics and composing makes it more beautiful, some of which have become qupai tune name and formed many variants such as "jasmine tune" , "mengjiangnu tune"; some of the xiao diao of the Ming and Qing dynasties have developed into the styles of interlinked qupai or cyclic forms such as "five dadiao" ofShandong Province, "kunqu" of Xing County ofShanxi Province, "daqiang" of Zuoquan of Shanxi.
Wu'ge: Dance Songs
Dance songs are folk songs singing while dancing, characterized by strong rhythms, and mainly sung on the occasions of festivals, celebrations, or gatherings such as "shehuo" (merry-making activities), "yang'ge (a popular rural folk dance) tune", and "huahui'ge" in north China; "lantern song", "tea-picking song" and "flower-drum tune"in south China. According to their dancing forms, dance songs fall into the following categories such as "dalianxiang", "huagun", "lianhualuo", "stilt", "dragonboat", "flower boat", "songqilin", "chundiao", "shibuxian", "taipinggu" etc. They also include some songs related with folklores, local operas and folktales etc.
Most of the minorities in China are good at singing and dancing, their singing and dancing have strong local flavors and charms, such as "meshrep" (collected song-dances) and "lapar" (a small-scale dance) ofUygur ethnic group, "salaye" (playing dragon lantern tune) ofQiang ethnic group, "tiao guo zhuang" and "xianzi dance" of Tibetan ethnic group, "alili" and "worere" ofNaxi ethnic group, "duoye" of Dong ethnic group, "lurigele" of Daur ethnic group, "nukegaile" of Ewenk ethnic group, and "Ivrigeren" of Oroqen ethnic group.
Yu're Fisherman's Songs
Fisherman's songs are generally those reflecting fishermen's life characterized by graceful and calm styles in short structure, and popular in the coastal regions. There are diverse types of fisherman's songs about fishermen's life in different regions such s "dan song" (boat dweller song), "yushi diao" (fisherman lyric tune), "xianshui ge" (salt water) in Guangdong and Fujian provinces, for fishermen are usually called "dan min" (boat dweller); "fisherman's songs" in Hubei and Hunan provinces; "Nanhai (south China sea) fishman's songs" inChaozhouand Shantou area. Fisheman's songs are sometimes called "boatman's songs" such as the famous "Wusuli River boatman's songs".
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