Musical Settings (XVI): “Ballad of the Great Wall” 長城謠

“Ballad of the Great Wall” 長城謠,
words by Pan Jienong 潘孑農

萬里長城萬里長，^[1]
[wan⁴ li³ chang² cheng² wan⁴ li³ chang²]
ㄨㄢˋ ㄌㄧˇ ㄔㄤˊ ㄔㄥˊ ㄨㄢˋ ㄌㄧˇ ㄔㄤˊ
Ten thousand li of great walls, sprawling over ten thousand li of landscape,

長城外面是故鄉。
[chang² cheng² wai⁴ mian⁴ shi⁴ gu⁴ xiang¹]
ㄔㄤˊ ㄔㄥˊ ㄨㄞˋ ㄇㄧㄢˋ ㄕˋ ㄍㄨˋ ㄒㄧㄤˉ
Outside of the walls was my homeland.

高粱肥，大豆香，
[gao¹ liang² fei² da⁴ dou⁴ xiang¹]
ㄍㄠˉ ㄌㄧㄤˊ ㄈㄟˊ ㄉㄚˋ ㄉㄡˋ ㄒㄧㄤˉ
Robust sorghums, fragrant soybeans,

遍地黃金少災殃。
[bian⁴ di⁴ huang² jin¹ shao³ zai¹ yang¹]
ㄅㄧㄢˋ ㄉㄧˋ ㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄐㄧㄣˉ ㄕㄠˇ ㄗㄞˉ ㄧㄤˉ
Boundless glistening gold, scarcely any calamities.

自從大難平地起，
[zi⁴ zong² da⁴ nan⁴ ping² di⁴ qi³]
ㄗˋ ㄘㄨㄥˊ ㄉㄚˋ ㄋㄢˋ ㄆㄧㄥˊ ㄉㄧˋ ㄑㄧˇ
Ever since the great turmoil rose from the ground,

奸淫擄掠苦難當。
[jian¹ yin² lu³ lue⁴ ku³ nan² dang¹]
ㄐㄧㄢˉ ㄧㄣˊ ㄌㄨˇ ㄌㄩㄝˋ ㄎㄨˇ ㄋㄢˊ ㄉㄤˉ
Raping, looting—unendurable sufferings.

苦難當，奔他方，
[ku³ nan² dang¹ ben¹ ta¹ xiang¹]
ㄎㄨˇ ㄋㄢˊ ㄉㄤˉ ㄅㄣˉ ㄊㄚˉ ㄒㄧㄤˉ
Unable to endure the adversity, fleeing to foreign lands,

骨肉流散父母喪。
[gu³ rou⁴ liu² san⁴ fu⁴ mu³ sang⁴]
ㄍㄨˇ ㄖㄡˋㄌㄧㄡˊ ㄙㄢˋ ㄈㄨˋ ㄇㄨˇ ㄙㄤˋ
Kinsfolk dispersed, parents succumbed to demise.

     **********

沒齒難忘仇和恨，
[muo⁴ chi³ nan² wang⁴ chou² he² heng⁴]
ㄇㄛˋ ㄔˇ ㄋㄢˊ ㄨㄤˋ ㄔㄡˊ ㄏㄜˊ ㄏㄣˋ
With never-forget hatred and regrets,

日夜只想回故鄉。
[ri⁴ ye⁴ zhi³ xiang³ huei² gu⁴ xiang¹]
ㄖˋ ㄧㄝˋ ㄓˇ ㄒㄧㄤˇ ㄏㄨㄟˊ ㄍㄨˋ ㄒㄧㄤˉ
Pining day and night to return home.

大家拼命打回去，
[da⁴ jia¹ pin¹ ming⁴ da³ huei² qu⁴]
ㄉㄚˋ ㄐㄧㄚˉ ㄆㄧㄣˉ ㄇㄧㄥˋ ㄉㄚˇ ㄏㄨㄟˊ ㄑㄩˋ
Let us fight for the return with our lives,

哪怕倭奴逞豪強。
[na³ pa⁴ wo¹ nu² cheng³ hau² qiang²]
ㄋㄚˇ ㄆㄚˋ ㄨㄛˉ ㄋㄨˊ ㄔㄥˇ ㄏㄠˊ ㄑㄧㄤˊ
Even as the barbaric Japanese vaunting their strength.

萬里長城萬里長，
[wan⁴ li³ chang² cheng² wan⁴ li³ chang²]
ㄨㄢˋ ㄌㄧˇ ㄔㄤˊ ㄔㄥˊ ㄨㄢˋ ㄌㄧˇ ㄔㄤˊ
Ten thousand li of great walls, sprawling over ten thousand li of landscape,

長城外面是故鄉。
[chang² cheng² wai⁴ mian⁴ shi⁴ gu⁴ xiang¹]
ㄔㄤˊ ㄔㄥˊ ㄨㄞˋ ㄇㄧㄢˋ ㄕˋ ㄍㄨˋ ㄒㄧㄤˉ
Outside of the walls was my homeland.

四萬萬同胞心一樣，
[si⁴ wan⁴ wan⁴ tong² bao¹ xin¹ yi² yang⁴]
ㄙˋ ㄨㄢˋ ㄨㄢˋ ㄊㄨㄥˊ ㄅㄠˉ ㄒㄧㄣˉ ㄧˊ ㄧㄤˋ
Four hundred million fellow citizens united in one heart,

新的長城萬里長。
[xin¹ di⁵ chang² cheng² wan⁴ li³ chang²］
ㄒㄧㄣˉ ㄉㄧ˙ ㄔㄤˊ ㄔㄥˊ ㄨㄢˋ ㄌㄧˇ ㄔㄤˊ
This new great wall sprawls over ten thousand li.

__”Changcheng yao” 長城謠

Contributing to the anti-Japanese movement, Shanghai Huayi Film Company 上海華藝影業公司 began the production of Guan shan wanli《關山萬里》(Ten Thousand Li of Passes and Mountains) in Spring of 1937.^[2] The screenplay, written by Pan Jienong 潘孑農, told the story of a folk opera singer fleeing the Northeast after the 9-1-8 Incident with his spouse and daughter. On their journey, the elderly artist created and taught his daughter the “Ballad of the Great Wall” 《長城謠》so that she would never forget the tragedy of the nation and the misfortune of family. Liu Xue’an 劉雪庵 was invited to write the film score.^[3] As the Battle of Shanghai broke out in August, the film was never completed. However, the song traveled with the composer to Wuhan and was published in Zhange. It was popularized by soprano Zhou Xiaoyan 周小燕 as the lead singer in choral performances.

___The Great Wall as a Spiritual Symbol

Since the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (c. 770-256 B.C.), walls had been constructed strategically to fend off nomadic invaders from the north.^[4] For thousands of years, these fortresses protected livelihoods of commoners; secured the continuity of political establishments; and safeguarded the culture of the Central Plan. Spiritually, they grew to be the symbols of strength and integrity of China.

The existing walls were built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Measuring over eight thousand kilometers, the Ming Great Wall stretches from Jiayu pass 嘉峪關 (in today’s Gansu Province) in the west to Shanhai pass 山海關 by the Bohai Sea 渤海.^[5] Known as Tianxia di yi guan 天下第一關—The First Pass of the Realm, Shanhai pass has become a geographical and cultural landmark.^[6] Since the Qing Dynasty, the idiom guannei 關內—literally within the pass, has been used to designate the territory west of Shanhai pass; guanwai 關外—outside of the pass, the territory east/northeast of Shanhai pass, roughly corresponding to the Three Eastern Provinces.^[7] As the Japanese occupied the Northeast, the eastern section of the Great Wall and the passes symbolized the frontline of defense during the Sino-Japanese conflicts.

__Pan Jienong 潘孑農 (1909-1993) and Liu Xue’an 劉雪庵 (1905-1985)

Pan Jienong was from a family of merchants in Huzhou 湖州府, Zhejiang 浙江. ^[8] At the age of twenty-two, he became the chief editor of Maodun 矛盾 (Contradictions)—a film magazine in Nanjing.^[9] In 1937, he joined the Central Film Studio 中央電影攝影廠, the official production studio of KMT, developing anti-Japanese films.^[10] He turned to stage work in the post-war 1940s. He directed the Shanghai Huai Opera Company 上海淮劇團 from 1954 until 1958, when he was arrested for his past political involvement.

One of the so-called Four Great Disciples of Huang Tzu 黃自,^[11] Liu Xue’an was from Chongqing, Sichuan. He entered the National Conservatory of Music in 1930 and began his teaching and writing career after graduation.^[12] As a composer, Liu’s greatest virtue was his ability to create memorable melodies. Easily, he crossed over into popular genres.

A casual tango tune he wrote as a student was adapted by Huang Jiamo 黃嘉謨 as the theme song of the 1937 silent film San xing ban yue 三星伴月 (Three Stars by the Moon).^[13] Entitled “He ri jun zai lai” 何日君再來 （When Will You Come Back?), this song was first recorded by the singer/actress Zhou Xuan 周璇and further popularized internationally by Yoshiku Yamakuchi 山口淑子^[14] under her Chinese name Li Xianglan 李香蘭, with Japanese and Chinese lyrics.^[15] It brought the composer fame and great misfortune.

“He ri jun zai lai” was deemed bourgeois and indecent in late 1940s and banned in China. During the anti-rightist campaign (1957-1959), as a composer of questionable music, Liu Xue’an was criticized and removed from his teaching position. In 1967, he was sent to reeducation labor camp in Hebei, where he was tortured and almost lost his eyesight completely.

The title of the song also became controversial. The third character 君 jun, a polite and formal second person pronoun, and 軍, military/army, are homophones. Conspiracists believed that the title suggested the return of the Red Army or the Japanese Army (日軍）. Thus, the song was banned in Taiwan during the martial law period. For some, 君 insinuated an intimate connection, and the lyrics were lustful. Even after Liu gave a public self-criticism and was “rehabilitated” in 1980, He ri jun zai lai was still banned for its “pornographic” content.

Pan Jienong and Liu Xue’an began their collaboration in 1936 for the film Tanxing nu re 彈性女兒 (English title: Three Springy Dancing Girls).^[16] During the war time, they both participated in the production of Qu Yuan 屈原, a five-act historical drama by Guo Moruo 郭沫若, first performed in April 1942 in Chongqing.^[17] In their later lives, after his own “rehabilitation,” Pan endeavored to overturn Liu’s conviction.

__Lyrics and music

Corresponding to the character and the plot of the movie, both the lyrics and music of Changcheng yao are simple and relatable. The vernacular texts are built upon the theme of wanli changcheng wanli chang萬里長城萬里長—extended fortifications that stood the tests of time. With the hopeful idea of a new fortress built by the spiritual unification of people, the verses come to a positive ending.

The lyrics quoted in this study were based on the recording sung by Zhou Xiaoyan. There are some discrepancies in the exact wording in a few lines: 奸淫 jianyin yin (line 6) appears in some editions as 姦淫, with no change of meaning or sound; 流散liu san (line 8) as 離散 li san; with minor change in sound; and倭奴 wonu (line 12) as 倭寇 wokou or 惡寇 erkou. Wokou 倭寇 can be translated directly as dwarf robbers. It refers to Japanese pirates assaulting ships and villages along the Chinese and Korean coasts between the thirteenth and the seventeenth centuries. The character 奴 means “slaves” literally. Here it carries the extended meaning of “barbaric tribe,” such as in 匈奴 xiongnu, nomadic people of the north—one of the outside forces to be kept away by the Great Walls.

The music consists of four four-bar phrases, with brief introduction and interlude. Set strophically, each verse contains eight lines of texts. The melody of Changcheng yao uses pentatonic scale and is full of idiomatic theatrical characters. The accompaniment uses straightforward primary chord progression in a major key. Unlike the sorrowful Songhua jiang shang, Changcheng yao expresses a deeply felt affection, calmly but firmly.

__Performance History

Soprano Zhou Xiaoyan who popularized Changcheng yao in Wuhan recorded the song in Singapore for Pathe Records 上海百代唱片 with elegant orchestra arrangements. Zhou, while maintaining her western-classical technique, approached the song with affective portamenti and rubati to render traditional theatrical character. ^[18]

Due to the composer’s political status, Changcheng yao was banned in China for decades while remaining popular in Taiwan and Hong Kong. In 1984, Hongkonger Cheung Ming Man 張明敏 brought it back to China in the CCTV New Year’s Gala.^[19] Cheung was the first singer from Hongkong to perform in such an important Chinese TV show. Many young Chinese audience who never heard the song before thought Changcheng yao was a newly written work.

In 1994, Taiwanese pop star Teresa Teng 鄧麗君 who brought He ri jun zai lai back to China gave a concert in Kaohsiung celebrating the seventieth anniversary of the founding of the Republic of China Military Academy.^[20] Teng performed Changcheng yao with the choristers of the academy. Two modifications of texts appeared in this performance: The words diren 敵人, a generic term for enemies, replaced 倭奴 wonu—as the international relation had long changed since WWII, and 四萬萬 si-wan-wan (four hundred million) increased to 十一萬萬 shiyi wanwan (eleven hundred million). The latter should be read as a symbol for the unification for all Chinese people under democracy, as the singer expressed her wish for China to be freed from the communist regime.

Almost two decades after the reintroduction of Changcheng yao to Chinese citizens, the promotional video for China’s 2022 Winter Olympic bid opened with two orchestrated fragments of the song.^[21] Having survived wars and political upheavals, Changcheng yao continues to symbolize the pride and resilience of Chinese people.

---

^[1] Li 里 has multiple meanings. It has been used as a measurement of distance since ancient time. According to Kongzi Jiayu 孔子家語 (a collection of saying by Confucius and his disciples), during the Zhou Dynasty, li was the distance of three hundred steps. In more recent history, it was roughly the length of half a kilometer.
里_baike.baidu.com , Kongzi_Jiayu_Wiki
^[2].華藝影業公司_baike.baidu.com
^[3] 第35期: 長城謠城外面是故鄉_南京民間抗日戰爭博物館_www.1937nanjing.org
^[4] King Wen of the State of Chu (reigned 689 BC-677 BC), using board framing and rammed earth 版筑, built series of defensive structures around Nanyang basin in today’s Henan Province, known as Chu fangcheng 楚方城 (square walls of Chu). 楚方城_zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw
^[5] Ming_Great_Wall_Wiki
^[6] Tianxia 天下 is often translated literally as “under the sky” or “under heaven.” Figuratively, it indicates the entire realm of China. Shanhai_Pass_Wiki.
^[7] 關內/關外, 百度經驗_jingyan.baidu.com
^[8] 潘孑農_baike.baidu.com
^[9] Maodun 矛盾 (Contradiction) was a monthly founded by Pan Jienong潘孑農, Wang Xipeng汪錫鵬, and Xu Suling 徐蘇靈 in April 1932. It was discontinued in 1934. https://csfdb.cn/magazines/984, 矛盾月刊 1932年1卷1期.pdf_Wikimedia_File:NLC404-01J000098-5347
^[10] 中央電影攝影廠_baike.baidu.com
^[11] 黃自_zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/
^[12] 劉雪庵_zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/
^[13] 三星伴月 (1937)_baike.baidu.com
^[14] Yoshiko_Yamaguchi_Wiki 李香蘭_zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/
^[15] 何日君再來_zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/ When_Will_You_Return?_Wiki
^[16] Liu used his penname Yanru 晏如 for this Huayi Film Company production. 彈性女兒_baike.baidu.com
^[17] Throughout Guo’s literary and political career, he used Qu Yuan as a symbolic hero for commoners. Monica E. M. Zikpi “Revolution and Continuity in Guo Moruo’s Representations of Qu Yuan.” Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews (CLEAR) 36 (2014): 175–200. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43490204.
Qu Yuan, written in vernacular language, used historical figures and their ideology to reflect on contemporary political problems—the corruptions of the KMT and the urgency of anti-Japanese efforts. It was Liu Xue’an composed instrumental background music for the play. Qu Yuan_baike.baidu.com/en/
圍繞歷史劇《屈原》的一場國共鬥爭_szw.yancheng.gov.cn
^[18] 百代唱片_zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/ 長城謠 周小燕_YouTube.com
^[19] Cheung_Ming-man_Wiki, CMG_Spring_Festival_Gala_Wiki
^[20] Teresa Teng (Liyun Deng, 1953-1995) was one of the most successful pop Asian singers of the late twentieth century whose international career made her an influential figure artistically and politically. Her songs gradually seep into China in the 1970s. By the end of the decade, her performance was treated as a propaganda tool of the Nationalist party. There was the comparison of Xiao Deng (young Deng, Teresa) and Lao Deng (Deng Xiaoping). Grew up in a military family, Teng devoted much of her time in entertaining troops. Forever Whampoa 永遠的黃埔 was one of Teng’s last performance before her untimely death in the following year.
永遠的黃埔, 長城謠, 鄧麗君_YouTube.com
^[21] Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Bid – Promotional Video_YouTube