Chapter One: Introduction

On April 28, 1970, the first Chinese satellite was successfully launched into the outer space. While in orbit, the satellite broadcast a tune that resonated throughout the space:“The East Is Red. ”Eleven years earlier in 1959, when the brand new Beijing Railway Station was completed, the same tune was broadcast at the top of the two clock towers once every hour, similar to the tune of Westminster chime of the Big Ben in London. In fact, the Westminster chime had been broadcast on the clock tower of the Custom House, a British-constructed building that had stood on the Shanghai Bund, for more half a century, and it was replaced by“The East Is Red”in the 1960s and 1970s. In both decades, the tune even became the“unofficial national anthem”of China, a status analogous to that of“American, the Beautiful”in the US and the“Hebrew Slave”chorus in Italy. However, there is a major difference between the Chinese tune and its foreign counterparts. The Westminster Chime was allegedly composed by Handel, the German composer, while the tune of“America, the Beautiful”was written by American composer Samuel Augustus Ward. By contrast, the tune of“The East Is Red”has no composer; it derived from the tune of a folk song. Specifically, it is the tune of one of the“Shanbei”folksongs.

In linguistic terms, “Shanbei”is a name of two words: Shan, a name of a province in the mid-western part of China, and“bei, ”which means“north. ”“Shanbei, ”therefore, is a geographical term to refer to the northern part of Shaanxi Province. Shaanxi Province is at the center of China, both literally and culturally. Geographically, it is located at the central part of China; culturally speaking, it is the cradle of the Chinese Civilization from the pre-historical period onward. It is the birthplace of the first Chinese mythological emperor — the Yellow Emperor, whose tomb is located in the county of Huang Ling, literally meaning“The Tomb of the Yellow Emperor”; it is also a place where the first Chinese Empire—The Qin was established in 221 BCE. Even though most of the foreign readers may not have heard the term“Qin, ”the Emperor of Qin is perhaps one of the best known monarchs outside China because his tomb has been guarded by what is known as the“Terra Cotta Warriors, ”the clay warriors that were made more than two thousand years ago, and were unearthed in 1974. In fact, the term“Qin”is, according to the Western Sinologist, also the name given to China by the Westerners. “Qin”used to be spelt as“Chin, ”from which derived the English name“China, ”the French name“Chine”or the Italian term“Cina. ”So, it is accurate to say that Shaanxi Province is the birthplace of China in both historical and cultural terms. Historically speaking, there were as many as thirteen Chinese dynasties, stretching over 1000 years, that made their capitals in the current Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi Province.No place in China has boosted such enduring history as Shaanxi Province as the political center of the nation. The Province was also the crown jewel of the Chinese culture, which culminated during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) when Chinese culture peaked. For one thing, the capital of the Tang —“Changan”was the starting point of the famous Silk Road, an ancient trade route that expanded westwards during the Han Dynasty in the 100 BEC through Central Asian countries, reaching India, Persia and ultimately the Roman Empire.

Compared with other Chinese provinces, Shaanxi is a relatively small province. However, it is a quite diverse province in terms of its geological features, cultural inheritance as well as linguistic distinction. Traditionally, the province is divided into three geographical sections: the mountainous south, the central plain and its northern plateau. The central and southern areas are separated by one of China's largest mountain ridges — The Mount Qinling which stretched for hundreds of miles with high mountain peaks. Mount Qinling is a watershed that serves as a climate demarcation. The climate south of the mountain is mild and rainy, suitable for the cultivation of rice, the kind of crop prevalent in the South of China while the climate of the central plains is dry with fertile land to grow wheat and other crops typically cultivated in the North of China. Going further north from the central plains is the northern section of the Province where the plains vanish. Instead, there is loess plateau where the land is barren and the weather is brutal. The major crops for the locals to grow are millet and corn. The loess plateau is the most eroded land covered by dry powdery soil deposited by the blowing wind. Its formation is the result of overuse of the land as well as overgrazing by animals. In such a small province, the size of Britain, the climate is so diverse that ultimately influences the lives of the local people. The cultural center of the Province is no doubt at the central plain where the capital city of Xi'an is located. Surrounded by the large mountains in the south and the high plateau in the north, the central plain enjoys the protection of natural fortresses on both sides. All the cultural highlights mentioned above occurred right here.

If the central plain is the cultural center of both the Province and the nation, Shanbei, the northern section of the Province is the perimeter both geographically and culturally. For centuries, it served as the protective screen for the security of the central governments. It has been recorded in both historical and literary works that while the Chinese emperors and the people in central plain enjoyed the relatively easy and settled lives, Shanbei was a place where soldiers braved the harsh and brutal weather to defend the northwestern borders that had been repeatedly assaulted by the“barbarians”from the other side of the border. Life there was hard for both the soldiers and local residents. But it is from the harsh living conditions that derive a culture that is resilient, enduring and most of all optimistic. Shanbei folksong is just one of the manifestations of such spirit.

Even though Shanbei is not as wealthy as the southern mountainous areas and central plain, and its culture not as prevalent or influential as the central plains, it produces a cultural relic unmatched by the cultural center; it is the Shanbei folksong. In fact, out of the thirty-one Chinese provinces and autonomous regions where many folksongs are proliferated, no folk song from any other geographical areas has such far-reaching influence as the Shanbei folksongs. Their dissemination is partially political, but it is also due to its inherent cultural component that elevates a local folklore onto the national stage and beyond. So, we must have a close look at the culture of Shanbei to understand and eventually appreciate the cultural force that gives birth to this form art.