1.The Poya folksongs emerged from the ancient Zhuang cultural traditions of the“Shang Yue Chants”and“Learning to Sing from Childhood”

The Zhuang people and their ancestors are well-known for singing.In terms of their language,there are at least eight tones in most dialects,four more than Mandarin Chinese.The musical features of the Zhuang language results in expressing their thoughts and emotion in songs rather than words.During the Spring and Autumn Periods of Chinese history,the songs of the ethnic group known in Chinese history books as the“Ou Luo”were famous for their unique musical forms,rhythms and styles.Chinese historical documents record that ancient ethnic grouping known as the“Yue”were also known for widely-circulated songs during the Pre-Qin Dynasty period(prior to 221 BCE).

The ancient Chinese history book Han Dynasty History: The Legend of the Queen of Yuan(Han Shu · Yuan Hou Zhuan),the noblemen and merchants of Chengdu“went through Chang’an City,guided the water from Neifeng into the Dizhong slope so that the ships could sail on it.They participated in the singing fairs of the Yue folksongs under feather umbrellas.”This shows that appreciation of the Yue songs had been a kind of fashion for the Chang’an nobles.Another work,entitled Shuo Yuan · Shan Shuo Pian,contains the lines“What time is it now? It’s time for singing on boats”,is believed to be part of an ancient,popular Yue song.As descendants of the ancient people known as“Luoyue”the Zhuang people have inherited the“Shang Yue Chants”tradition of singing.They are“learning to sing from childhood”,in an environment of“singing as a countryside fad”,singing spontaneously-composed songs.Their folksong culture became very developed.Regular singing festivals were frequently celebrated.As Li Diaoyuan stated in his Notes on Southern Guangdong: The Best Folksongs of Guangdong(Nan Ao Biji · Ao Su Hao Ge),written during the Qing Dynasty period(1644-1912 CE),“People from eastern and western Guangdong are fond of singing but the chieftains from western Guangdong are even more crazy about singing.”The term“western Guangdong”,used in this work in this era includes the area of modern Funing County as well as other areas in Youjiang River valley.The specific geographical environment,lifestyle and cultural psychology,have created the customs of“learning to sing from childhood”and“choosing one’s lover by singing”.“Celebrating festivals in song”,and“needing to sing to have fun”have become the social fashion.It is because there were such cultural customs that the cultural soil for the emergence of the folksongs of Poya village was well-prepared.