Achang folk songs
The Achang people have a long history and a population of 32,000, of which 12,000 live in Lianghe County. There are many kinds of Achang folk songs, many of which are unique in terms of tunes and singing forms. According to the genre, Achang folk songs include mountain songs, narrative songs, ritual songs, sacrificial songs and dance songs. Mountain songs are the main tunes for young men and women to sing love songs, called "Zanis Naoke" mountain song tunes, which are the oldest love song tunes. Both sides have a set of singing content from acquaintance to separation. Narrative songs include a variety of narrative long songs, mainly "Maoshe Mengshe" (meaning creating the world) and "Malan tune" (memorial tune, sung for the deceased elderly). The Achang creation epic "Zhepa Ma and Zhemi Ma" is a representative of "Maoshe Mengshe". Ritual songs are folk songs sung in wedding and funeral customs, such as "Batao Kun" (invitation tune) and "Basong Kun" (waiting tune) sung by the host and the guest in various festive activities. Sacrificial songs are mainly sung in funeral customs and folk rituals. There are two types: "Pozhiqiang" sung by priests "Popao" and "Piezadiao" sung by wizards, each with multiple tunes. Dance songs mainly include the Woluo tune sung in the traditional song and dance "Dengwoluo", which is sung in the form of leading and harmonizing. According to the different voices, the Achang folk songs can be divided into two categories: "Zelezha" (small voice singing) and "Zelema" (big voice singing). Some tunes such as Bataokun and Woluo tune are sung with only two notes that form a minor third interval, retaining the melody and rhythm characteristics of traditional folk songs. The Lianghe County Government has designated the fourth day of the first lunar month of each year as the annual "Aluwoluo" Festival. During the festival, two major types of folk songs are mainly performed: "Dengwoluo" dance songs and Achang folk songs and love songs. These two types of folk songs have a broad mass base and have certain artistry and expressiveness. Due to the changes in social life, folk songs such as sacrificial songs are mostly facing decline and extinction. As the older generation of priests and wizards gradually pass away, there are no successors among the young people today.