A Brief History of the Tujia—Tujia Culture in the Socialist Period (Part One)
Section Three: Tujia Culture in the Socialist Period. I. Innovation of Tujia Culture in the Early Years of New China. The founding of New China provided broad space for Tujia cultural development. On one hand, traditional Tujia culture was fully respected, and the essence of ethnic culture was developed and promoted; on the other hand, a new socialist culture continually spread in Tujia areas...
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Section 3 Tujia Culture in the Socialist Period
I. The Innovation of Tujia Culture in the Early Period of New China
The founding of New China provided broad space for the cultural development of the Tujia ethnic group. On the one hand, traditional Tujia culture received full respect, and the essence of ethnic culture was developed and carried forward; on the other hand, the new socialist culture was continuously spread and developed in Tujia areas, and Tujia culture became fuller of vitality and vigor.
(1) The Impact of the Founding of New China on Tujia Culture
The founding of New China, the liberation of the Tujia people, the realization of regional ethnic autonomy, and the implementation of the Party's policies for developing the economy and culture of ethnic areas brought major changes to the social economy of Tujia areas. At the same time, they also had a profound and far-reaching impact on the development of Tujia culture.
First, the content of Tujia culture became richer. The establishment of the socialist system created broad space for the cultural development of the Tujia ethnic group. In exchanges with the outside world, the Tujia absorbed many new cultural elements, thereby creating an even richer culture. This was mainly manifested in two aspects: (1) The original elements in Tujia culture were inherited and developed. For example, folk songs and operas, folk tales, and literati poetry, while inheriting their original styles, added some new cultural components. For example, in addition to traditional drama, modern plays such as "Section Chief Wang Celebrates His Birthday" and "Sister-in-law Zhang Acts as Matchmaker" also appeared, and many new stories were produced in folk tales. (2) Many new cultural elements were produced. For example, old-style poetry was replaced by new poetry, while novels, reportage, and film literature were contents that Tujia literature had not had before, and gradually occupied a dominant position in contemporary Tujia literature.
Second, Tujia literati culture developed rapidly. After the founding of New China, the Party and the government adopted a series of measures to develop cultural and educational undertakings in Tujia areas. School education rose rapidly in Tujia areas. The development of school education increased the number of educated Tujia people, gradually raised people's level of knowledge, and trained and brought up a large number of intellectuals, powerfully promoting the development of literati culture. For example, in the past, the cultural achievements of Tujia literati were mainly concentrated in poetry creation, but in this period, in addition to poetry, novels, prose, reportage, film literature, and sculpture all made breakthrough progress, producing many excellent cultural works that had considerable influence in the country. A group of Tujia writers also emerged in literature, all of which marked that the development of Tujia literati culture had reached a new stage.
Third, Tujia culture had characteristics of the times. The founding of New China changed the old relations of production. Developing production and prospering culture were important tasks for all ethnic groups in our country. Tujia culture in this period profoundly embodied the content of the times. Whether poetry, novels, reportage, prose, or opera; whether folk culture or literati culture, all shared a common characteristic, namely praising the Party and the socialist system, eulogizing new types of interpersonal relations under the socialist system, reflecting the achievements of socialist construction at various stages, advocating new value concepts and social trends, and embodying changes in the lives of the Tujia people.
(2) Contemporary Tujia Culture
1. Tujia Poets and Painters
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, figures such as Jiang Chengdong, Huang Yongyu, Xiao Guosong, Tian He, Xiang Jiuyun, Hu Wenhong, Tian Lan, Liu Shanfu, and Yu Zaihua appeared in Tujia poetry circles. Numerous Tujia poets created a large number of works eulogizing the times.
Wang Chengdong, born in 1930, was a native of Yongshun County, Hunan. Wang Chengdong created a large number of poems and had considerable influence in contemporary Chinese poetry circles. Wang Chengdong's poetic creation can be divided into two stages. Before 1978, his poetry mainly consisted of political lyric poetry and short narrative poems. His works were simple and sincere, fresh and natural, and warmly moving, mostly describing the natural scenery of ethnic minority areas, reflecting the construction achievements and social changes in ethnic minority areas, and eulogizing ethnic unity. Since the publication of "A Bouquet of October Poems" in May 1978, Wang Chengdong's poetic creation entered a new stage. Compared with the previous stage, the poetry of this period had broader content, and was novel in conception, ingenious in structure, rich in emotion, and unique in artistic conception, marking that his poetry had become more mature and that his creative level had reached a new height.
Huang Yongyu, born in 1924, was a native of Fenghuang, Hunan. In his youth he wandered through various places in Jiangnan and received an incomplete middle school education. He is a famous Chinese artist and also a well-known poet. In the 1940s he created some illustrated poems, and in the 1970s he created poems such as "Wife, Don't Cry" and "A Person Taking a Walk in the Courtyard." After the "Cultural Revolution," Huang Yongyu successively created and published two poetry collections, "There Was Once Such a Time" and "The Song in My Heart." Published in 1981'There Was Once Such a Time' compiles the author's poems28first, depicting"Cultural Revolution"The performances of people from all walks of life praise the noble qualities of those with lofty ideals who dared to struggle. The content is rich and the meaning is profound. It successively won the first prize in the First National Excellent New Poetry (Poetry Collection) Awards and an honorary award in the Second National Minority Literature Creation Awards.
In addition to the works of the above two, Xiao Guosong's "Gesang Flower" from Changyang, Hubei, and Tian He's "Qingjiang Customs" and "Records of Western Hubei Customs" from Enshi, Hubei, also had a certain influence.
Tujia painters are represented by Huang Yongyu and Su Gaoyu. As a painter, Huang Yongyu once served as a professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts and vice chairman of the Chinese Artists Association. Huang Yongyu first became famous for woodcuts, with representative works such as "Miao Girl" and "Ashima," and later became skilled in painting, with representative works such as "Sketches of Western Hunan" and "You Are Not a Fish." In 2008 he was awarded the title of "Olympic Artist" by the International Olympic Committee.
Su Gaoyu, born in 1966, was a native of Jishou, Hunan. He is skilled at painting plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, chrysanthemums, and lotuses, and is accomplished in old-style poetry and calligraphy. His paintings have the style of Qi Baishi, and his prose has the charm of Shen Congwen. His works have participated many times in national art exhibitions and won awards, and he was selected by the National Gallery Alliance as one of the most promising contemporary Chinese painters (ranking 33rd). He is currently deputy editor-in-chief of "People's Art" of China Fine Arts Publishing House.
2. The Tujia Writers Group
In this period, many Tujia literary workers worked diligently and explored boldly, creating a large number of works with distinctive styles, forming a group of Tujia novelists or essayists represented by Sun Jianzhong, Li Chuanfeng, Ye Mei, Yang Shenglong, Cai Cehai, and Peng Xueming. They have considerable influence in contemporary ethnic minority and even national novel or prose creation.
Sun Jianzhong, born in 1938, was a native of Jishou City, Hunan, and is currently vice chairman of the Hunan Provincial Writers Association. He is one of the most accomplished writers in contemporary Tujia novel creation. After the Third Plenary Session of the Party's Central Committee, Sun Jianzhong's novel creation entered a new stage. He successively created influential novellas and short stories such as "Nostalgia" and "Sweet Thornberry." The themes became more distinct, developing from the previous emphasis on describing the fate of characters to concern for society and direct analysis of reality. The novel "Drunk Village," from the perspective of the transformation and renewal of Tujia spiritual culture, describes the progress of economic reform in Tujia areas and its impact on the Tujia ethnic group. It has a novel subject, rich connotations, and profound conception, and won the first prize in the Second National Ethnic Minority Literature Creation Awards. Sun Jianzhong's works all take western Hunan as their object of description and have strong local and ethnic characteristics, with both ideological and artistic qualities reaching a considerable height.
Li Chuanfeng, born in 1947, was a native of Hefeng, Hubei, and is currently vice chairman of the Hubei Provincial Federation of Literary and Art Circles and editor-in-chief of the large popular literature journal "Legends of Today and Ancient Times." He has successively published more than 30 novellas and short stories and the novel "The Last White Tiger." Li Chuanfeng's novels are rich in content and vivid in color, and his works have a strong flavor of Tujia life.
Ye Mei, female, born in 1953, was a native of Enshi. She is currently a member of the National Committee of the Chinese Writers Association and editor-in-chief of the magazine "Ethnic Literature" of the Chinese Writers Association. To date she has created nearly more than 3 million characters of literary works including novels, reportage, and film and television scripts. Quite a few of her works fully reflect the living customs of the Tujia ethnic group and have produced strong social influence. Among them, "The Wife of a Half-Outsider Household" and "The Flower Lantern, Like Her Eyes" were respectively included and reprinted by some authoritative collections and "Xinhua Digest," and some works have been translated and introduced abroad.
Yang Shenglong, male, born in May 1953, was a native of Longshan County, western Hunan. He is currently deputy director of the Culture and Publicity Department of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission. In 1997 he joined the Chinese Writers Association and is especially good at prose creation. He is the author of the prose collection Shanxiang Xiaoqiao, Chushan Ji, and others.
Cai Cehai, born in 1954, was a native of Longshan, Hunan, and is a professional writer and an outstanding contemporary young writer. "The Sound of Logging in the Distance" won the 1982 National Excellent Short Story Award and the Honorary Award of the Second National Ethnic Minority Literature Creation Awards, and was included in "The Great Series of Chinese New Literature: Ethnic Minority Literature Volume." "Musk" won the first prize in the Second National Ethnic Minority Literature Creation Awards, was selected and reprinted by many publications, and was translated and introduced abroad.
Peng Xueming, male, born in November 1964, was a native of Baojing, Hunan. He is currently deputy director of the Creation and Research Department of the Chinese Writers Association, a deputy to the Ninth National People's Congress, and a deputy to the Tenth National People's Congress. More than 30 prose works with western Hunan as their subject, such as "Women of Western Hunan," caused great repercussions throughout the country and were reprinted by many publications including "Xinhua Digest." His prose works "Drum Dance" and "White River" were selected into middle school Chinese textbooks by the Ministry of Education and into textbooks for universities and colleges, and have been translated and introduced abroad. Prose collection"My Xiangxi" won the 11th China Book Award, and the essay collection "Hundred Schools of Literature and Art of Hunan Army"·Peng Xueming Volume) won the 7th China Ethnic Minority Literature Horse Award. In view of his personal literary achievements, Hunan Province in1994In the year, he was awarded the Youth Literature Prize, and the Zhangjiajie Municipal Party Committee and Government in2003In the year, he was awarded its Special Achievement Award.
In addition, in the Tujia novel and prose creation of this period, there were also many influential writers and works, such as Chen Chuan of Qianjiang, Chongqing; Hu Ke of Zhangjiajie, Hunan; Sun Jun of Xiushan, Chongqing; and Zhang Xinping, Tian Lan, Tian Yonghong, and Tian Kailin, all of whom are writers with a certain standing. Their works such as "There, in the Distance" and "The Lone Monkey" had a certain influence.
3. Tujia Quyi and Drama
After the founding of New China, under the direct leadership and organization of the Party and the government, Tujia cultural workers, on the basis of sorting out traditional opera works, also created a large number of new opera works, thus bringing Tujia opera in this period to a new stage of development.
Before the founding of New China, years of war made life impossible for the Tujia people. Many folk artists in Tujia areas gave up quyi one after another in order to survive and struggled for a living, and many forms of quyi with Tujia characteristics faced the danger of being lost. After the founding of New China, under the encouragement and advocacy of the Party and the government, the quyi culture of Tujia areas revived again, and a large number of excellent works were created.
The flower-drum lyric (sanbanggu) "Striking Longshan" is a eulogy praising the Red Army and Comrade He Long. The work was first drafted by Tian Ziyun in the winter of 1936 and later gradually perfected on the basis of constantly listening to the opinions of the masses and revising it. Taking He Long's opening up of the Hunan-Hubei-Western Revolutionary Base as the thread and He Long's encirclement of Longshan county town as the focus, the author praises He Long's revolutionary boldness and outstanding military talent and extols the Red Army's spirit of brave struggle. It was widely circulated in present-day Longshan, Laifeng, and Xuan'en.
The Changyang nanqu "White Tiger Creates," with lyrics by Liu Mingchun and Gong Fada of Changyang County and music by Chen Hong, takes the uprising of the Tujia peasant Tian Shijun during the Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty as its subject, and narrates in detail the course of battle in which Tian Shijun caused a great disturbance in Shuangshi Town, gathered the masses for an uprising, and rushed to defend Wuluo Zhongli Mountain in Changyang. The work draws on some expressive techniques of ancient novels, and its plot is full of ups and downs and thrilling.
The Lichuan xiaoqu "Secretary Huai Qing Song Bang," jointly created by Pan Shunfu of Lichuan and others. Through the narrative of County Party Secretary Yang Zhigang's three visits to Qing Song Bang to stay at a grassroots unit and lead the masses in self-reliance and vigorously developing agriculture, the work eulogizes the pioneering spirit of revolutionary cadres. In the early 1970s, this piece was widely sung in the urban and rural areas of Lichuan. After winning a regional award in 1973, it was performed in the provincial capital and in Beijing, with considerable response, and the status of Lichuan xiaoqu was thereby established.
Inheritance and development of drama. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, through the efforts of large numbers of drama workers, Tujia drama developed on the previous foundation. On the one hand, the ranks of drama workers were strengthened, and Tujia drama, which had faced being lost, was restored. In this period, through the work of the Party and the government, many scattered artists were able to gather again, and the establishment of various drama academies trained a large number of new drama workers. On the other hand, traditional drama was sorted out and adapted, and new modern drama constantly emerged. Traditional repertoire such as "Cheng Ying Saves the Orphan," "Record of the Broken Kiln," and "Li Huiniang" was newly sorted out and performed in Tujia areas. Newly compiled dramas such as "Snow Covers the Tusi King's Palace," "General Luo," and "Brother Chun and the Golden Pheasant" were also performed in Tujia areas and well received. Modern plays such as "Section Chief Tang Celebrates His Birthday," "Sister-in-law Zhang Acts as Matchmaker," "Welcoming Guests," "Wedding Night," "Love of the Wu River," "The Flower Girl and the Frog," "Special Password," "Dog Meat Banquet," and "Huang Po Acts as Matchmaker" also broke through the soil and grew.
4. New Folk Literature of the Tujia Ethnic Group
Since the founding of New China, the Party and the government have attached great importance to giving play to the role of folk literature and have adopted various measures to support its development, thus bringing about fundamental changes in both content and form in Tujia folk literature in this period, and the development of folk literature entered a new era.
First, the forms of transmission and creative methods of folk literature changed. Before the founding of New China, Tujia folk literature was mainly transmitted orally. After the founding of New China, the Party and the government attached great importance to the collection and exploration of folk literature. In December 1958, the Propaganda Department of the CPC Hubei Provincial Committee organized some teachers and students from the Central South University for Nationalities and Wuhan University to go to the Tujia areas of western Hunan and Hubei to carry out large-scale folk literature collection work. They successively collected more than 100,000 pieces of folk literature materials, compiled a 400,000-word History of Tujia Literature and Art, and published Selected Tujia Ballads, Selected Tujia Stories, and Songs of Crying Marriage. The editing and publication of these materials brought Tujia folk literature into a stage dominated by written transmission, combined with written and oral transmission, creating conditions for its wider dissemination. At the same time, the creative methods of Tujia folk literature also changed during this period. As the cultural quality of folk literature workers continuously improved, they could not only create orally, but also write with pen; they could not only sing folk songs and orally tell folk stories on the song stage, but also publish these works in newspapers and periodicals. The emergence of this new creative method combining oral and written creation broke the previous single mode of oral creation and greatly promoted the development of Tujia folk literature in depth.
Second, Tujia folk songs developed. During this period, Tujia folk songs not only changed in creative methods and transmission modes, but also developed in themes, style, and content, showing an entirely new atmosphere. On the one hand, a large number of new singers emerged and created numerous ballads. The more influential singers of this period included Song Lao Jiejie, Tian Maozhong, and Tian Shixue. Song Lao Jiejie, whose original name was Xiang Ermei, was impoverished after her husband died before the founding of New China and lived in a cave for many years. After the founding of New China, she regained society's care, was very excited, and enthusiastically praised the Party's grace and publicized the Party's lines, principles, and policies. The mountain songs she sang had simple language, free form, and were numerous. Tian Maozhong, born in 1924 in Baojing County, Hunan Province, was influenced by mountain songs from childhood and had mastered the rhymes and singing styles of mountain songs by age 11. To improve his skills, he visited famous ballad masters in Hunan, Sichuan, and other places many times. He composed and sang more than 150,000 contemporary ballads, and more than 1,000 were published in newspapers and periodicals at various levels. His ballads were rich in content, broad in theme, prominent in subject, vivid in imagery, and diverse in form. They both inherited the fine tradition of Tujia ballads and developed through his own originality, making a major contribution to promoting Tujia ballads. Tian Shixue, born in 1936 in Laifeng, Hubei, was a peasant poet who could sing many kinds of Tujia mountain songs and was especially good at five-line songs. He published more than 1,300 ballads in newspapers and periodicals. On the other hand, the content of Tujia ballads underwent profound changes. Praising the Party's policies, publicizing the Party's lines and principles, and eulogizing the great achievements of socialist construction became the main content of Tujia ballads in this period. Ballads praising the Party included: "Only when it is hot does one know the wind is cool; on snowy days one thinks of charcoal fire; only when spring comes does one feel the warmth of sunlight; only after liberation does one feel the Party's dearness." Ballads praising ethnic policy included: "The golden bamboo in the southern mountains is linked root to root; the Tujia and the Party are linked heart to heart; the Party's ethnic policy is good; the Tujia thank the Party for its grace." Ballads reflecting production and construction included: "In spring the scene is new; husband and wife are busy with spring plowing; in labor one shows ability; strive to be a model and go to Beijing." "The mulberry shoulder pole is five chi long; carrying grain, one walks busily; on one end is industrialization, on the other end is patriotic grain."
Third, new stories appeared in large numbers and spread widely. With the changes of the times, Tujia folk stories also appeared in a brand-new posture. At this time, story themes expanded, and stories reflecting rural changes and reform accounted for a relatively large proportion. These stories had a strong sense of the times and readability, paid attention to describing characters from multiple angles and levels, and widely used literary techniques such as exaggeration, and were deeply loved by the masses.