Introduction to Enshi Folk Songs

The Longboat Tunes, originally known as "The Tune of Planting Melons", was first sung by rowing lotus picking boats circulating in the area of Lichuan's Baiyang Town, and "Longboat Tunes" is one of the world's 25 outstanding folk songs announced in October 1991 by UNESCO. The Longboat Tune*** has 12 sections and is based on monthly festivals and agricultural activities. Longboat tune" features strong, beautiful mood, the song of the Tujia girl and the boatman two artistic images vivid; words and phrases simple and vulgar catchy, liner notes, has a witty and humorous characteristics; music melody undulating and melodious, wide range and high-pitched twists and turns, and its lyrical and folk emotions are very prominent.

The Hefeng folk song "Kanko Tree" is an excellent folk song with strong representation. When the tree becomes a forest, the god-sisters will grow into people. When the fruit of the mandarin tree goes out, the god-sisters and god-sisters are separated." The lyrics of "The Citrus Tree" skillfully use harmonies to sing of the love of the god-sisters and god-sisters, expressing the strong pursuit of freedom of love and autonomy of marriage by the ancestors of the Tujia people.

The Jianshi folk song "Huang Si Sisters" is a folkloric flower-drum ditty popular in Jianshi County. It is a highly self-indulgent mass-entertainment song sung by a man and a woman, or two men and two women, and accompanied by simple dance movements. The song expresses the enlightened attitude of the Tujia people towards love and marriage with its funny and witty performance cadence and movement.

Many places in Enshi Prefecture are known as hometowns of mountain folk songs, which have soaring arias, flowing cathartic songs, slow and soothing popular singing, as well as wildly roaring rock 'n' roll. The "Lower Barrens" style, the "Bamboo Branch Lyrics" rhyme, the "Five Sentences" meter, the beautiful liner notes, the male-female duet style, the singing of white and white mixed, singing and dancing together. The "way" of singing, the lyricism, the theme of love and marriage, etc., constitute the unique regional ethnic characteristics of Enshi folk songs.