Old Yellow River labor chant gains attention

Editor's Note:

The Yellow River runs through nine cities in East China's Shandong province and flows into the sea, bringing vitality and prosperity to the land. Along its banks, numerous intangible cultural heritage projects have been created and inherited, reflecting the colorful scenery, brilliant culture and rich diversity of Shandong. Shandong is a province with a long history and a splendid civilization. It boasts 186 national-level intangible cultural heritage projects, ranking it second in the country. Moreover, eight projects have been inscribed onto the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, according to the Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism. Join me on a journey in Meeting the Sea Along the Yellow River in Shandong, to discover the treasures of intangible cultural heritage there and appreciate the charms of this ancient and modern land.

Yanggu county – located in East China's Shandong province – is gaining attention for its unique vocal form of cultural heritage, called the Yellow River labor chant.

The labor chant was popular in the 1950s and 1960s. When building the Yellow River dikes and levees, locals used stone rammers to compact the soil while singing it to relieve fatigue, synchronize their movements and boost morale.

In 1998, Zhang Chunmei, head of the cultural station in Shouzhang town, discovered that there was no information left about the chant.

Determined to preserve this part of history, Zhang and her colleagues embarked on a search for people who still remembered it.

After visiting over 100 households, they found Xu Xiangju, an 89-year-old villager from Dongmen village, who could sing the chant.

With the assistance of folklore scholars and the staff members of the county cultural center, Xu's singing became the basis for organizing and arranging 13 tamping tunes, which were then recorded and made into a score.

In 2009, the Yanggu Shouzhang Yellow River Labor Chant was included as a provincial intangible cultural heritage item.

To promote awareness and understanding of the chant, the county culture and tourism bureau and the town government have provided funding for the establishment of a new generation of performing teams.

A Yellow River labor chant performance is staged. [Photo by Wang Yanqing for chinadaily.com.cn]

These teams showcase their skills during holidays in scenic spots and cultural venues and also conduct free teaching sessions.

Additionally, they've uploaded performance videos onto short video platforms, receiving praise from netizens. (Edited by Jin Yongxue)