The Historical Origin of Longdong Folk Songs

Qingyang and other places in eastern Gansu were called Longdong and Beijiang in ancient times. Three generations, Zhou Zubu, Zi Ju and Sun Gongliu, started businesses in Longdong (mainly in Qingyang) to "teach people to grow crops". Because of this, the people experienced an epoch-making turning point from fishing and hunting, grazing, swimming to settlement and farming, and the production developed rapidly. The developed Han culture is closely related to the people's advanced life, which has produced many ballads reflecting Zhou Xianmin's meritorious deeds and people's working life. It is said that the Book of Songs (actually a collection of folk songs) edited by Confucius, a great writer and thinker, reproduces the folk songs of the Han nationality in Longdong, among which songs such as July, Daya Gong Liu and Xiaoya Cai Wei artistically record the folk songs in Longdong. It is also a place where ancient ethnic minorities such as Di, Rong and Qiang live together. More than 800 years later, the ancient Quguo once built its capital here and dominated the Quartet. At that time, folk songs had entered the court and became the entertainment of the upper rulers.

With the changes of the times, Longdong folk songs constantly absorb various cultural elements, and through collision and blending, they are integrated with local geography, politics, economy and culture, forming an artistic flower with its own unique style, artistic conception and artistic interest. Generations of reproduction, word of mouth, truly recorded the true feelings of Qingyang people in various historical stages, which is their total score in judging society, pursuing ideals and aspirations and understanding life. Many traditional folk songs belong to "no dynasty" because it is difficult to determine the specific historical stage of their birth from the content, but judging from the musical tunes they use, they are all very old, such as "sailing against the current", "cutting indigo flowers", "crying at the Great Wall", "accidentally", "sad palace", "western cool tune", "sending a lover" and "sweeping the floor".