When I was a child, I was always curious about the mystery of the southwest land border on maps. I think it's just some mountains and rivers. I didn't realize it when I wasn't close to them. But this time, as I traveled south from the northeast, I felt increasingly vulgar in this never-before-captured landscape. This scenery, this piece of land and water, is so novel.
In 2013, I came to Huanggang for the 17th time. That night, I sang a lot of songs, drank a lot of wine, and spoke a lot of my heart.
Huanggang’s wine is not fine wine. The fermentation of the low-alcohol liquor produced by this family workshop is not considered high quality. The lees have a sour taste after excessive exposure to oxygen. After three rounds, however, the quality of the wine begins to matter less, let alone the wine song, which is an unparalleled dish.
Liping County, Shuangjiang Town and Huanggang Dong Village are one of the birthplaces of Dong songs and the birthplace of Dong male songs. Its male songs are unique, with one person taking the lead, no conductor, and no accompaniment. The voice is sincere, the rhythm is rigorous, the ups and downs, and the momentum is magnificent. It has the reputation of "the hometown of male Dong songs".
People in Huanggang especially like singing. Popular songs include soda songs, pipa songs, corbeled qin songs, river songs, etc. Among them, daqu is the most distinctive. It is called "Song Nest". In Huanggang, you can hear singing every day. Every year during the festival, people sing, drink and sing, sing in the way of getting married, and fall in love.
Songs are the most important part of people’s lives in Huanggang. Every time they sing a big song, they will stand or sit in a row, put one hand on the shoulder of the person in front, and swing back and forth to the rhythm of the big song to coordinate their sounds and movements.
Historically, the Dong people did not have their own written language. Its national history, social knowledge, production experience, national customs and habits, interactions between men and women, ethics and morals, customs, respecting the elderly and caring for the young, unity and harmony, punishing evil and promoting good, etc. are all passed down orally, recording history and events. , feelings, interactions, beautify and enrich them through singing.