Kam Grand Choir
Kam Grand Choir, also known as the Grand Song of the Dong, is acclaimed as the most beautiful choir song in the East. It was once sung in the Golden Hall of Vienna and was included in the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2009.
Kam Grand Choir dates back to the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. It was well-developed in the Song Dynasty and prevailed in the Ming Dynasty. Today, it is mainly popular in Liping County, Congjiang County, Rongjiang County and other Dong communities in the Qiandongnan area and in Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County in Guangxi. The songs are great in number and rich in contents. They provide a glimpse of the Dong people's social structure, marital life, cultural traditions, and intellectual life.
The Dong ethnic group does not have a written language, so its culture can only be passed on in oral form. Singing, therefore, plays an important role in this regard. It is not merely a kind of folk music or folk art, but a way to depict the best of the Dong people's inner world and the code of conduct that the Dong people abide by strictly.
The Chinese government has attached great importance to the protection and promotion of Kam Grand Choir. In 1953, singers from Liping County made their debut on the stage of China's first ever folk music and dance show. Since then, singers of Kam Grand Choir have frequently gone on international stages and putting on performances has become an important way of keeping Kam Grand Choir alive. Moreover, the culture of the Dong people, including Kam Grand Choir, has been introduced in classrooms, as a special feature of local education.
侗族大歌
侗族大歌被誉为“东方最美和声”,曾唱响维也纳金色大厅,2009年被联合国教科文组织列入人类非物质文化遗产代表作名录。
侗族大歌源于春秋战国时期,至宋代比较成熟,至明代盛行。目前,它主要流行于贵州省黔东南地区的黎平县、从江县、榕江县等侗族聚居区和广西三江侗族自治县。侗族大歌曲目众多,内容极为广泛,是侗族社会结构、婚恋关系、文化传承和精神生活的重要组成部分。
侗族是一个没有文字的民族,侗族文化只能以口头的形式传承,歌唱便担负着“以歌传文”的历史重任。它不单纯是一种民间音乐或民间艺术,更是侗族人精神生活的最高境界,也是侗族人严格恪守的行为准则。
侗族大歌的传承和保护一直受到国家重视。1953年贵州黎平民间歌手首次登上“全国首届民间音乐舞蹈会演”的舞台,此后侗族大歌频频走向世界舞台,登台表演成为当代侗族大歌一种重要的存衍方式。此外,侗族大歌等民族文化也走进课堂成为地方教育特色。