Kangding, Garze, Sichuan Province, China 康 定, 打 箭 爐
Kangding 康 定 or Dartsedo 打 箭 爐
Kangding is a county-city 縣 市 and also the capital seat of Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture 甘 孜 藏 族 自 治 州 in Sichuan Province 四 川 省.
Kangding is commonly referred by its former name Dartsedo 打 箭 爐 or Darzedo, an important Tea Horse Exchange Market-City 茶 馬 互 市 in ancient times. In the late Qing Dynasty 清 朝 (1644-1911), Dartsedo was renamed to Kangding 康 定 which means Kham Land Peace-Settled 康 地 安 定.
At 2650 m above sea level, Kangding is surrounded by 3 mountains, namely Paoma Mountain 跑 馬 山, Guoda Mountain 郭 達 山 and Jiaulian Mountain 九 蓮 山, and sits at the confluence where Zheduo River 折 多 河 and Yala River 雅 拉 河 merge and eventually flow to the Dadu River 大 渡 河.
Yu Yixuan - Love Song of Kangding 喻宜萱-康定情歌 1949
Yu Yixuan - Love Song of Kangding 喻宜萱-康定情歌 1949
China has a diverse array of ethnic groups, each of which has their own unique set of folk songs that constitute a solid foundation of Chinese musical heritage. The different ethnic minorities in China all have their own work songs, mountain songs, dance songs, ritual songs, children' s songs, love songs, narrative songs and religions songs. All are considered equally important. There are more than 27 provinces and states in China, different place has different style of folk song .The folk songs of Han people, which accounts for above 90% of China population.
There are three types of Chinese Folk songs, they are called: haozi, xiao diao & Shan Ge. Usually, haozi is sung by male labourers. Shan Ge are sung by two people. Xiao Diao are usually sung by girls. Kangding Love Song is a folk song originated in Kangding town, Sichuan Province. In the 1940s, Li Yiruo from Sichuan, composed a song Racing Horse in the Mountains. Jiang Dingxian, a lecturer from the Department of Composition of Chongqing Qingmuguan National Conservatory, scored it and then recommended it to a popular singer Yu Yixuan after re-naming it Kangding Love Song.
Kang Ding Love Song is one of the most popular Chinese folk songs. Its simple melody and vivid rhythm are easy to remember and sing, and its lyrics tell a timeless theme — Love. It also sings of the beauty of Mt. Paoma, a mountain peak that rises 1,000 feet over the city. It has a Tibetan monastery at the peak and is said to scrape the clouds from the heavens. UNESCO has Kangding Love Song as one of the world's top ten folk songs, and it has become legendary over the years, performed by international artists such as Placido Domin-go and soprano Kailunaisi Ciprian. It was China's representative amongst the ten most recorded songs in the world launched into the Universe by the US National Space Agency. Festivals are held in its honour, visitors flock to Kangding where even a hotel is named after it. It has come a long way since You Yixuan brought it to public attention in 1949.
Yuyi Xuan was born in Pingxiang City on September 6th 1909. She spent 4 years at the Shanghai National Music Institute from 1928 to 1932. She spent several years in the USA thereafter before returning to China. She became one of the four most famous sopranos of China, along with Zhou Xiaoyan, Huang Youkui, and Lang Yuk Sau. Her life was spent serving and teaching music in the highest establishments in China. She also travelled the world to study music further and to give performances. A true ambassador of music. She died in Beijing in January 2008, at the age of 99 years. She was also known as Louise Kwan.
Although Yu died at the age of 99, her 100th birthday was still celebrated: On the morning of Sept. 7th, 2009, the forum in Commemoration of Renowned Soprano and Vocal Educator Yu Yixuan's 100th Birthday was held solemnly at the Taiwan hall of the Great Hall of the People. President Wang Stated in his speech Yu Yixuan's outstanding contributions to Chinese modern musical education, especially the vocal art, will go down in the annals of history.
Lyrics:
On that mountain top is a cloud, yo.
Shining on Kangding city, yo.
Crescent moon, the Kangding city, yo.
Lee family's daughter is very pretty.
Zhang family's son loves that girl, yo.
Crescent moon, he loves that girl, yo.
He loves her firstly for her beauty, yo.
He loves her next for her caring for the home, yo.
Crescent moon, caring for the home, yo.
All the world's girls, let me love them, yo.
All the world's boys, let them love whom they please, yo.
Crescent moon, let them love whom they please, yo.
Pǎomǎ liūliū de shānshuǐ, yī duo liūliū de yún yō,
duān duān liūliū de zhào zài, kāngdìng liūliū de chéng yō,
yuèliàng wān wān, kāngdìng liūliū de chéng yō
Li jiā liūliū de dàjiē, réncái liūliū de hǎo yō,
zhāng jiā liūliū de dàgē, kàn shàng liūliū de tā yō,
yuèliàng wān wān, kàn shàng liūliū de tā yō.
Yī lái liūliū de kàn shàng, réncái liūliū de hǎo yō,
èr lái liūliū de kàn shàng, huì dāng liūliū de jiā yō,
yuèliàng wān wān, huì dāng liūliū de jiā yō.
Shìjiān liūliū de nǚzǐ, rèn wǒ liūliū de ài yō,
shìjiān liūliū de nánzǐ, rèn nǐ liūliū de qiú yō,
yuèliàng wān wān, rèn nǐ liūliū de qiú yō.