Hua'er (songmingyan Hua'er Festival)

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Hua'er (songmingyan Hua'er Festival)

Applicant: Hezheng County, Gansu Province

Item No.: 51

Project No.: Ⅱ - 20

Time of publication: 2006 (the first batch)

Category: Traditional Music

Region: Gansu Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Hezheng County, Gansu Province

Protection unit: Hezheng County Cultural Center

Hua'er (songmingyan Hua'er Festival)

Applicant: Hezheng County, Gansu Province

Huaer is a kind of folk song which is widely spread in Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia and Xinjiang. It is a kind of folk song which can only be sung outside the village. It is generally called "Yequ" (as opposed to "Jiaqu" (banquet song) and also called "juvenile". Its singing is divided into two main occasions: daily production, life and "Huaer meeting". "Huaer Festival" is a large Folk Song Festival, also known as "singing mountain".

Songmingyan is located in Xiaoxia scenic spot of diaotan Township, 23 kilometers south of Hezheng County, Linxia Prefecture. The scenic spot is composed of Xiding, Nanwutai, yuhuangfeng and Jiguanshan. It is one of the three famous flower venues in Gansu Province and the birthplace of Hezhou flower.

Songmingyan Flower Festival is held in songmingyan, a National Forest Park and provincial scenic spot in Hezheng County, Gansu Province, from April 26 to 29 of the lunar calendar. According to the records of Hezheng county annals, songmingyan holds a Longhua meeting on April 26, 27, 28 and 29 every year, with thousands of worshippers and a lot of incense. According to the research of historical data, Huaer appeared in Hezheng County in the early Ming Dynasty, at least hundreds of years ago.

Songmingyan Hua'er Festival has a continuous historical inheritance, broad openness and inclusiveness, and a fixed singing time and occasion. At songmingyan Huaer Festival, besides various Hezhou decrees, the singers also sang peony decrees. The singing places were on the hillside, on the lawn, at the mountain pass, or in the forest. The singing forms included solo, chorus, and duet. The accompaniment instruments included Mimi, sixianzi, Zhina, and erhu.