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Cultural Heritage(Music):Nanyin Music

Year: 2006

Sort: Folk Music

Area: Fujiang Province

Serial No.: Ⅱ-71

Declarer: Quanzhou City, Xiamen City, Fujian Province

Nanyin music, a traditional opera sung in the Minnan (south Fujian) dialect,
has existed for more than 1,000 years and is considered to be the most ancient
musical art form in China. With its unique musical and notation system Nanyin
music is regarded as a “living fossil of ancient Chinese music.”

The music dates back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD). It originated as royal palace
music but eventually established itself in southern China when court musicians
migrated south as a because of civil wars. Nanyin musical practices and
instruments have been preserved for centuries, incorporating elements of
Xianghege song (a performance companied by speaking, singing and music) of the
Han Dynasty, the Qingshengyue music of the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234), and the
seating position of the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

Described as “serene and elegant”, the music reflects a bygone age when the
pace of life was unhurried, with two types: instrumental ensemble music to be
played or sung, and songs. A typical piece may be as brief as two minutes or as
long as forty minutes.

The main pitched instruments used in Nanyin music are the dongxiao (a
vertical flute), the nanpa (a bent-neck lute), the erxian (a two-stringed
vertical instrument), the sanxian (a three-stringed plucked instrument and the
paiban (clappers). Featuring wind and string instruments such as the lute and
the vertical flute, it has close ties with ancient imperial music, Buddhist music, poetic rhythm, and drama tunes.

For hundreds of years it has been handed down through oral instruction and
has spread from Quanzhou to other parts of Fujian, Taiwan Province, and among overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia
and Europe.