“Hua’er Cultures”
It may not be well known in the western countries that thereis a heavy Muslim population in northwestern China, other than the Turkic languagegroups in Xinjing. They are the Hui, Sala, Bao'an, Dongxiang, Tu and Yuguethnic groups. According to historical records, the ancestors of the Salapeople emigrated from central Asia during theYuan dynasty, some 1,000 years ago. On the other hand, the Hui people (it isbelieved that their ancestors came from the Persian area) settled in thecurrent Qinghaiprovince and Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region during the Tang Dynasty, some1,400 years ago. The Muslims who immigrated to China eventually began to have agreat economic impact and influence on the country. Muslims virtually dominatedthe import/export business in Chinaduring the Sung Dynasty (960 - 1279 AD). The office of Director General ofShipping was consistently held by a Muslim during this period. During the MingDynasty (1368 - 1644 AD), a period considered to be the golden age of Islam in China,Muslims fully integrated into Han society. They began to speak the Han languageand to read in Chinese. However, the Islamic mode of dress and dietary restrictionswere consistently maintained and not compromised. Eventually, the Muslims couldnot be distinguished from other Chinese groups, except by their uniquereligious customs. For this reason, once again, there was little frictionbetween Muslim and non-Muslim Chinese. The songs and dances of the Muslimethnic groups are rich in content and form, and cover a wide range of subjects:fairy tales, love stories, traditions, and the history of the Muslim groupswith characteristics of both the Islamic religion and the “Hua’er culture”.
“Hua’er” is one of the best-known and most popular genre ofrural songs in Gansu, Ningxia and Qinghai. It is linked tolocal temple festivals and ritual events aimed at ensuring good harvests,safety to man and livestock, and healthy off-spring. Hua’er is often performedimprovisatori, meaning the singer makes it up as he goes, and without anyaccompaniment. Hua'er are easily distinguished from other folk songs, especiallyby their music. The tunes have a high vocal range. They are sung with apiercing quality and with spectacular ornaments in the falsetto parts, whichcan hardly fail to strike the listener's ear. The different types of tunes arecalled ling. They have four lines arranged in a folk meter, such that the linesare not standard seven-word ones. For instance, "I climb the high peak andview the level plain/There down below is a peony plant/It looks so easy fromhere to pluck that bloom/But I know such a longing is futile." The tunes,too, match the two-part, four-line format. Hua'er gatherings can be held at anytime of the year, but they are mostly held in the fifth and sixth months by thelunar calendar, usually coinciding with temple fairs and trading fairs.Gathered in a scenic spot in the mountains, the participants sing antiphonally,trying to outdo each other. There is a joyous, carefree and lively atmosphereon these occasions. Singing hua'er is a way for young men and women to talkabout love. Love is a major theme of such songs, which are characterized bysweet, soul-stirring tunes rich and varied motifs, and an unmistakable idyllicflavor. After the fifth month according to the Chinese lunar calendar, hua’erfestivals are held in many paces in Qinghai,and local singers take this opportunity to sing about their life, labor, loveand ideals in a most infatuating way. The folk song festival, which takes placeon the sixth day of the sixth lunar month at Lianhuashan area in Xining, the capital city of Ningxia, is so famous that it eventuallybecame an annual weeklong event.
