Miao Folk Songs in Xiangxi and Miao Culture

Seminar on Chinese Traditional Culture at Shiu Pong College – Miao Folk Songs in Xiangxi and Miao Culture

The Shiu Pong College strives to boost students’ understanding of Chinese culture. On October 27, 2020, Professor Hongyong Liu and Miss Fang Wu (PhD candidate) from Department of Chinese Language and Literature were cordially invited to deliver a seminar talk on “Miao Folk Songs in Xiangxi and Miao Culture”. Around 50 students attended the event.

The seminar consisted of two parts. Firstly, Professor Liu introduced the background knowledge of Miao culture. He mentioned that Miao folk songs used to play an important role in exchanging thoughts and feelings among the Miao people. However, with the development of society, only a small number of middle-aged Xiangxi Miao people can sing Miao songs like their parents. Since Miao language does not have a writing system, it can only use Chinese characters with similar pronunciations to record the lyrics of Miao songs. This cultural heritage is found to be highly endangered now. The second part was presented by Miss Wu who is a younger generation grew up in Xiangxi Miao and Tujia Autonomous Prefecture, Hunan Province, China. She introduced two traditional Miao folk songs and explained that the lyrics mostly involve words of admiration, appreciation and encouragement. Besides, Miao marriage customs were also introduced.

In sum, Professor Liu and Miss Wu presented a comprehensive picture on the unique Miao Culture and expanded the young audience’ understanding of ancient Chinese culture.

紹邦書院舉辦中國傳統文化系列講座：湘西苗歌與苗族文化

紹邦書院致力弘揚中國傳統歷史文化。二零二零年十月二十七日，澳門大學中國語言文學系劉鴻勇教授和吳芳博士生應邀主持「中國傳統文化系列講座﹕湘西苗歌與苗族文化」，吸引約50名同學參與。

本次講座主要分為兩部分。首先是劉教授介紹苗族文化的背景知識。苗族民歌曾經是苗族同胞思想和情感交流的一種重要方式。但是，隨著社會發展，湘西苗族只有少數人能像父母一樣唱苗歌。由於湘西苗語沒有文字系統，為了記錄歌詞，人們只能使用發音相近的漢字。這種口頭文化瀕臨消亡，急需保育。講座的第二部分由在湘西土生土長的苗族姑娘吳同學主持。她介紹了兩首苗歌，並解釋苗歌的內容主要是表達讚美、欣賞及鼓勵之情。此外，吳同學還介紹了苗族人結婚的傳統習俗。

講座上，劉教授和吳同學全面而生動地剖析了苗族獨特的文化，擴大參加者對中國傳統文化藝術的認識。