Folk land songs are the praises that folk artists chanted from door to door during the Spring Festival in the old days to praise the land. In the old society, whether it was dignitaries or ordinary people, they liked flattery and praise, especially in public occasions created by themselves, and hoped to be praised by guests and friends. In order to cater to people's psychological needs, some folk artists observed the behavior and appearance of the objects being praised and improvised some lyrics that were in line with "this time, this feeling, and this scene". With the accompaniment of the small drum, they sang and praised, and the lively scene won the favor of the host and guests. These artists all have a unique skill that should not be underestimated, which is improvisation. "Praise whoever you bump into", "Praise things when you see things", "Praise people when you see people", and praise them endlessly, making the objects being praised happy and have to pay money to send them away. This is the praise of the land that people often saw in the old days. Praising the land, like the flower drum and lion dragon lantern, is a popular folk custom for the New Year, which is actually a disguised form of begging. The land song originally originated from the praises compiled by folk storytellers in the name of the land god. The God of Land is one of the gods in Taoist mythology. He is the guardian of a piece of land and a god that coexists with that piece of land. Therefore, the God of Land in that piece of land knows everything. As a local guardian god, although he has a low status, he is the most common one worshipped by the people. Temples built for the God of Land are almost everywhere in every village in rural China. Therefore, people will not refuse artists who come to praise the land, and they are also very generous in giving alms. There is such a legend about praising the land among the people. During the Qing Dynasty, there was a merchant selling blue cloth. He was robbed by robbers on the way to do business. He felt ashamed to go home to see his wife and children. He prepared to commit suicide in the land temple at night after being robbed. At this time, the God of Land appeared and persuaded him in time, and asked him to seek help from the people, and he would definitely be able to solve the problem. The cloth merchant thought the same and gave up the idea of committing suicide, but how could he ask for help from the people? He asked the God of Land for advice. At this time, an artist came outside. He knocked on the scale and sang: "One step high, two steps low, three steps and four steps up the stairs, five steps and six steps across the threshold, but I am afraid of the gold and silver. Bow when you enter the door, ask for accommodation and two for gifts." The merchant was inspired and said, "Master, you and I are both in trouble. What's the point of asking for accommodation? You and I will make do tonight." The man said, "The blue cloth on your shoulder is worth thousands of gold, and the ruler in your hand is an inch. In addition, I have this cornucopia that can be knocked loudly. What kind of person are you in trouble?" After that, the man disappeared, leaving only a scale. The merchant thought that this must be the God of Land's guidance. Why don't I knock on the scale like the man who came and ask for help from the villagers. So he picked up the scale and sang while knocking it with a ruler: "The blue cloth on my shoulder is worth a thousand gold coins, and the ruler in my hand has inches. There are pounds in the treasure bowl, so I don't need to ask for help. I am in trouble now and it is difficult to turn around, so I ask the Lord for money." The sound of the scale attracted people to watch, and the onlookers gave silver. The merchants took the silver and continued to sing: "After taking the silver, I bowed. First, thank you for the trip, second, thank the master for his true teaching, and third, thank the land for saving my life." So, praising the land gradually spread among the people and became a profession for many people in rural areas. The land singers took advantage of the New Year's Day when people loved to be lively, and said praises to make some money. In the old society, most of the people who praised the land were poor people, and most of them were over a certain age. Some were forced to live and wandered all year round. This kind of people had rich social experience and could make all kinds of praises. Their props were very simple, a small drum and a bamboo stick. They praised while knocking and went door to door. The praises are all flattering rhymes. For example: "The steps are long and long, and two umbrella pillars support the hall. The roof is covered with fish-scale tiles, and the ground is shining with gold bricks. The descendants will accompany the emperor from generation to generation." Folk artists who praise the land go out with simple bags from the twelfth lunar month every year and return home on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month (the Lantern Festival). In the 1950s and 1960s, many people in the Liusha River area made a living by singing land songs, and most of them were active in Changsha, Yiyang, and Xiangtan. They strung some iron rings on a bamboo pole and wore them on their bodies. When praising the land, they casually knocked on any part of their body, making a tinkling sound, which was very rhythmic. Some old artists only knocked on a worn-out bowl and went door to door along the street. The crisp sound of the knocking combined with the beautiful praises was particularly beautiful. They usually move around dozens or hundreds of kilometers away from their hometowns. They often choose some small towns and praise shops one by one. Most of the money they earn is change, mostly one or five yuan. A little bit adds up to a lot. Sometimes they earn more than one hundred yuan in one street. Sometimes they would go to the countryside, where the villagers would give more rice and less money. When they had too much rice, it would be inconvenient to carry, so they would often sell it at a price lower than the market price. They would visit dozens of households a day, and they could earn a considerable income during the Spring Festival. Interestingly, in that era, many land song singers from Anhua and Liling in Hunan were active in our Ningxiang, which seemed to verify the saying "rabbits don't eat grass near their nests". The reason was that praising the land was actually begging, and being away from home could avoid being embarrassed when meeting acquaintances. In my childhood memory, I remember that in the 1980s, there was an old hunchback artist named "Babei Tuo" who sang land songs in Qingjiang Village (formerly Qingtang) in Liusha River. He was nearly 80 years old, not very literate, but full of knowledge. In the old society, he would go from house to house to praise the land. He could praise anything he saw and anyone he met, and he could compose lyrics for hours without interruption. It is said that he could compose a novel by praising the praises sung by one person for a whole morning. The old man disappears in the twelfth lunar month every year and returns in March or April of the following year. The family of seven relies on the income from the old man's praise of the land to support their lives, and they live a happy life. Artists engaged in land songs do not have a master who teaches them by word of mouth. They rely on the accumulation of social life and their own intelligence. In addition to mastering some basic praise words, it is important to learn to be flexible and be able to praise people and objects when they meet people. People are divided into old and young, men and women, and occupations, and objects are even more diverse. For example, "Praise Sister-in-law": "First, praise sister-in-law for her beautiful face, Chang'e from the moon has come down to earth. Second, praise sister-in-law for her virtue, and she can do everything to manage the family. Third, praise sister-in-law for her filial piety, respecting the elderly and honoring the virtuous Meng Rihong. Fourth, praise sister-in-law for her kindness and righteousness, and for treating guests with a smile. Thank sister-in-law for the big envelope, husband and wife sing and follow a hundred years of spring." People who praise the land should react quickly, have a unique vision, and be eloquent. They should master a set of transitional phrases to connect naturally. For example, if you are asked to praise a Japanese-style bed, you must specify the number of square feet and tenons, the number of mirrors and boards, and the size and length. The praiser must have a clear idea in mind, some use operas, and some use industry praises. Praising the land is a knowledge, an art, and one must be knowledgeable and versatile. Only by praising well can you win people's favor and money. The land songs created by Ningxiang folk artists are actually a kind of Ningxiang folk songs. Land songs can be spoken and sung, a bit like the "humming folk songs" in folk songs, and are mostly seven-character sentences, but the content is different from folk songs. The words are easy to understand and the language is colloquial like folk songs. For example: "The gong sounds and the conversation begins. I come to your house to send money. The first gift is a thousand fragrant treasures, the second gift is to attract wealth from thousands of miles away, and the third gift is to send three sworn brothers in Peach Blossom Land." "The waiter left and I came again. It's hard for the waiter to open the stage. I came to your house for nothing else, so I came to your house to ask for money. The host is a virtuous man. He was afraid that he would delay my spring outing, so he hurriedly gave me rice bills. He gave me a lot, a lot, and the baskets were full of gold, silver and rice." It is catchy to read and you can understand it at once. Such praises once accompanied the growth of a generation. With the development of society, they gradually exist only in the memories of a very small number of people. Nowadays, whether in the countryside or in the city, it is rare to see artists singing land songs. Instead, there are many people who stop cars on the streets and shops to send the God of Wealth, and the practitioners are getting younger and younger. A God of Wealth worth a few cents cannot be sent away without ten yuan. Information source: Electric Power Administration Office (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.) Information source: Electric Power Administration Office (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.)