Musical Settings (XVIII): “By the Jialing River” 嘉陵江上

This entry is part 40 of 40 in the series Chinese Art Song

By the Jialing River 嘉陵江上
Words by Duanmu Hongliang 端木蕻良

那一天,敵人打到了我的村莊,
[na4 yi4 tian1 di2 ren2 da3 dao4 le5 wo3 de5 cun1 zhuang1]
ㄋㄚˋ ㄧˋ ㄊㄧㄢˉ ㄉㄧˊ ㄖㄣˊ ㄉㄚˇ ㄉㄠˋ ㄌㄜ˙ ㄨㄛˇ ㄉㄜ˙ ㄘㄨㄣˉ ㄓㄨㄤˉ
On that day, when the enemies attacked my village,

我便失去了我的田舍、家人和牛羊。
[wo3 bian4 shi1 qu4 le5 wo3 de5 tian2 she4 jia1 ren2 he2 niu2 yang2]
ㄨㄛˇ ㄅㄧㄢˋ ㄕˉ ㄑㄩˋ ㄌㄜ˙ ㄨㄛˇ ㄉㄜ˙ ㄊㄧㄢˊ ㄕㄜˋ ㄐㄧㄚˉ ㄖㄣˊ ㄏㄜˊ ㄋㄧㄡˊ ㄧㄤˊ
I lost my farmhouse, family, cattle and sheep.

如今我徘徊在嘉陵江上,
[ru2 jin1 wo3 pai2 huai2 zai4 jia1 ling2 jiang1 shang4]
ㄖㄨˊ ㄐㄧㄣˉ ㄨㄛˇ ㄆㄞˊ ㄏㄨㄞˊ ㄗㄞˋ ㄐㄧㄚˉ ㄌㄧㄥˊ ㄐㄧㄤˉ ㄕㄤˋ
Now wandering by the Jialing River,

我仿佛聞到故鄉泥土的芳香,
[wo3 fang3 fu2 wen2 dao4 gu4 xiang1 ni2 tu3 de5 fang1 xiang1]
ㄨㄛˇ ㄈㄤˇ ㄈㄨˊㄨㄣˊ ㄉㄠˋ ㄍㄨˋ ㄒㄧㄤˉ ㄋㄧˊ ㄊㄨˇ ㄉㄜ˙ ㄈㄤˉㄒㄧㄤˉ
I smell, seemingly, the fragrance of the hometown soil

一樣的流水,一樣的月亮,
[yi2 yang4 de5 liu2 shui3 yi2 yang4 de5 yue4 liang4]
ㄧˊ ㄧㄤˋ ㄉㄜ˙ ㄌㄧㄡˊ ㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄧˊ ㄧㄤˋ ㄉㄜ˙ ㄩㄝˋ ㄌㄧㄤˋ
Water flows persistently; moon shines unperturbed;

我已失去了一切歡笑和夢想
[wo3 yi3 shi1 qu4 le5 yi2 qie4 huan1 xiao4 he2 meng4 xiang3]
ㄨㄛˇ ㄧˇ ㄕˉ ㄑㄩˋ ㄌㄜ˙ ㄧˊ ㄑㄧㄝˋㄏㄨㄢˉㄒㄧㄠˋ ㄏㄜˊ ㄇㄥˋ ㄒㄧㄤˇ
I have lost all the joy and dreams.

江水每夜嗚咽地流過,
[jiang1 shui3 mei3 yie4 wu1 yie4 di5 liu2 guo4]
ㄐㄧㄤˉ ㄕㄨㄟˇ ㄇㄟˇ ㄧㄝˋ ㄨˉ ㄧㄝˋ ㄉㄧ˙ ㄌㄧㄡˊ ㄍㄨㄛˋ
River flows by sobbing nightly,

都仿佛流在我的心上。
[dou1 fang3 fu2 liu2 zai4 wo3 de5 xin1 shang4]
ㄉㄡˉ ㄈㄤˇ ㄈㄨˊ ㄌㄧㄡˊ ㄗㄞˋ ㄨㄛˇ ㄉㄜ˙ ㄒㄧㄣˉ ㄕㄤˋ
As if it was tearing over my heart.

我必須回到我的家鄉,
[wo3 bi4 xu1 hui2 dao4 wo3 de5 jia1 xiang1]
ㄨㄛˇ ㄅㄧˋ ㄒㄩˉ ㄏㄨㄟˊ ㄉㄠˋ ㄨㄛˇ ㄉㄜ˙ ㄐㄧㄚˉ ㄒㄧㄤˉ
I must return to my hometown,

為了那没有收割的菜花,
[wei4 le5 na4 mei2 you3 shou1 ge1 de5 cai4 hua1]
ㄨㄟˋ ㄌㄜ˙ ㄋㄚˋ ㄇㄟˊ ㄧㄡˇ ㄕㄡˉ ㄍㄜˉㄉㄜ˙ ㄘㄞˋㄏㄨㄚˉ
For the unharvested vegetable crops,

和那餓瘦了的羔羊。
[he2 na4 e4 shou4 le5 de5 gao1 yang2]
ㄏㄜˊ ㄋㄚˋ ㄜˋ ㄕㄡˋ ㄌㄜ˙ ㄉㄜ˙ ㄍㄠˉ ㄧㄤˊ
For the emaciated lambs.

我必須回去,
[wo3 bi4 xu1 hui2 qu4]
ㄨㄛˇ ㄅㄧˋ ㄒㄩˉ ㄏㄨㄟˊ ㄑㄩˋ
I must return,

從敵人的槍彈底下回去。
[cong2 di2 ren2 de5 qiang1 dan4 di3 xia4 hui2 qu4]
ㄘㄨㄥˊ ㄉㄧˊ ㄖㄣˊ ㄉㄜ˙ ㄑㄧㄤˉ ㄉㄢˋ ㄉㄧˇ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄏㄨㄟˊ ㄑㄩˋ
From underneath the enemies’ bullets.

我必需回去,
[wo3 bi4 xu1 hui2 qu4]
ㄨㄛˇ ㄅㄧˋ ㄒㄩˉ ㄏㄨㄟˊ ㄑㄩˋ
I must return,

從敵人的刺刀叢里回去。
[cong2 di2 ren2 de5 ci4 dao1 cong2 li3 hui2 qu4]
ㄘㄨㄥˊ ㄉㄧˊ ㄖㄣˊ ㄉㄜ˙ ㄘˋ ㄉㄠˉ ㄘㄨㄥˊ ㄌㄧˇㄏㄨㄟˊ ㄑㄩˋ
From the midst of the enemies’ bayonets.

把我那打勝仗的刀槍,
[ba3 wo3 na4 da3 sheng4 zhang4 de5 dao1 qiang1]
ㄅㄚˇ ㄨㄛˇ ㄋㄚˋ ㄉㄚˇ ㄕㄥˋ ㄓㄤˋ ㄉㄜ˙ ㄉㄠˉ ㄑㄧㄤˉ
Placing my weapons of victory

放在我生長的地方。
[fang4 zai4 wo3 sheng1 zhang3 de5 di4 fang1]
ㄈㄤˋ ㄗㄞˋ ㄨㄛˇ ㄕㄥˉ ㄓㄤˇ ㄉㄜ˙ ㄉㄧˋ ㄈㄤˉ
Where I came of age.

__Jialing River 嘉陵江

The Jialing River is a major tributary of the Yangtze River. Its eastern source originates from the southern slope of the Qin Mountains 秦嶺 near Feng County 鳳縣 of Shaanxi Province 陝西省.[1]

Its namesake Jialing 嘉陵, the Imperial tomb of King Jia, was once located in the region.[2] Flowing southwestwards, it meets one of its major tributaries Xihan River (西漢水, West Han River) in Lueyang County 略陽縣.[3] Soon after entering the Sichuan Province, it converges with Bailong River 白龍江,[4] its longest tributary, in Guangyuan City 廣元市 before continuing southward and draining into the Yangtze River in Chongqing.

The beauty of the Jialing River is legendary: In Tangchao minghua lu (唐朝名畫錄, Records of Famous Paintings of the Tang Dynasty, c. 840-846 AD), art critic Zhu Jingxuan 朱景玄 stated that during the Tianbao Era 天寶年間 (742-756), Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty 唐玄宗 sent artist Wu Dauzi 吳道子to explore the scenery of the Sichuan Basin. It was said that, upon his return, Wu completed the mural “Three Hundred Li[5] of Jialing River Landscape” 嘉陵江山水三百里freehanded on the walls of Tatong Palace 大同殿 within a day.[6]

In Shaanxi, the headwaters of the Jialing River are located inside the Tiantai Mountains National Forest Park 寶雞天台山國家森林公園. Langmusi 郎木寺 near the border of Gansu and Sichuan provinces where the Bailong River originates, is an important monastery compound of the Gelug School of Tibetan Buddhism.[7] Before merging with the Yangtze River in the urban center of Chongqing, the Jialing River passes three gorges—Libi Gorge 濿鼻峽, Wentang Gorge 溫塘峽 and Guanyin Gorge 觀音峽—between Hechuan 合川 and Beibèi 北碚 Districts. The magnificence of this seventeen-mile stretch landscape earns it the name of Jialingjiang Xiaosanxia (嘉陵江小三峽, Three little gorges on the Jialing River), comparable to the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River.[8]

In December 1937, Chongqing became the wartime capital of the KMT government. The Executive Branch and administrative bureaus were situated in the Beibei District. During the same period, Fudan University 復旦大學 evacuated from Shanghai and relocated in Xiaba 夏壩 on the opposite bank of Beibèi. The stunning scenery and the elite culture of Beibèi formed the backdrop of Duanmu Hongliang’s verses Jialing jiang shang 嘉陵江上.

__Duanmu Hongliang 端木蕻良 (1912-1996)[9]

Born Cao Hanwen 曹漢文[10] into a prominent family of Manchu ethnicity in Changtu County 昌圖 of Liaoning Province 遼寧省[11], Duanmu Hongliang was a member of the Chinese Northeast Writers Group 東北作家群.[12] Fleeing from their hometown in the northeastern provinces—Manchuria—to avoid Japanese persecution, these young writers were active in the Central Plain region during the 1930s. Their works reflected the oppression of the Japanese invaders, the suffering of people during the war, and nostalgia for their homeland. The other commonality among the works by these writers was the left-leaning ideology.[13]

In 1928, Duanmu was sent to the elite preparatory school Naikai High school in Tianjin 天津市南開中學.[14] After the 9-1-8 incident, he began organizing Kangri Jukuo Tuan 抗日救國團 (Anti-Japanese Nation Salvation Group) and was expelled from the school. In 1932, he entered the history department of Qinghua University and joined the League of Left-Wing Writers 中國左翼作家聯盟.[15] As the editor of the journal for the League, he established a relationship with the famed author Lu Xun 魯迅. Under Lu’s mentorship, in 1933, he began writing the epic novel The Grassland of the Khorchin Banner《科爾沁旗草原》about a family’s life in Inner Mongolia under the Russian and Japanese oppressions.[16] Although the work, completed in 1935, was not published until 1939, its exquisite depictions of scenery and vivid delivery of characters firmly solidified Duanmu’s literary place among his peers.[17]

After a stint in Shanghai (1936-1937), Duanmu moved to Wuhan 武漢 and married his fellow writer Xiao Hong 蕭紅 in May 1938. They taught at the National Revolutionary University 民族革命大學 in Linfen City 臨汾, Shanxi Province 山西省 from spring to autumn of 1938. Subsequently, Duanmu joined the faculty of Fudan University in Beibèi in the winter of 1938 and remained in Chongqing until early 1940, when he relocated to Hong Kong.[18] Following the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong and the death of Xiao Hong on January 22, 1942, Duanmu found refuge in Guilin 桂林 before continuing his activities in Chongqing, Shanghai and Hong Kong in the 1940s.[19]

In addition to voluminous prose and long-form works, Duanmu Hongliang’s most significant literary contribution in his later years was Cao Xueqin 《曹雪芹》, a biographical fiction on the author of the monumental Dream of the Red Chamber. It reflected his passion for the Red Chamber and his desire to complete Cao’s unfinished work.[20] Duanmu was also an active member of writers’ organizations, such as PEN International 國際筆會, Beijing Writers Association北京作家協會, and China Writers Association 中國作家協會. He passed away in Beijing in 1996.

__Hè Luting[21] 賀綠汀 (1903-1999)

Hè Luting was born in Shaoyang County 邵陽縣 (today’s Shaodong City 邵東市) of Hunan Province 湖南省 in 1903.[22] His artistic life initiated in the spring of 1923 when he entered Yueyun High School 岳雲中學, studying fine art and music. After graduating in 1926, he became a teacher at Yueyun and joined the Chinese Communist Party. In December 1927, he participated in the failed CCP Uprising in Guangzhou.

In 1931, Hè Luting was accepted at the National Conservatory of Music where he studied composition with Huang Zi 黃自.[23] Russian pianist/composer Alexander Tcherpin 齊爾品 came to Shanghai in 1934 and held a competition, searching for piano works with Chinese characters. Hè won the first prize with his submission “Mutong duandi” (牧童短笛, Shepherd’s piccolo) and was awarded the opportunity to study abroad and a scholarship of 100 Yuan.[24] Soon, following the footstep of Huang Zi, he joined the film industry, leading the music department of Mingxing Film Compony 明星影片公司.[25] His best-known film compositions are “Sìjì ge” (四季歌, Song of the four seasons) and “Tianyá genu” (天涯歌女, The wandering songstress), both for the 1937 film Street Angel 馬路天使.[26]

After the Japanese occupation of Shanghai, Hè first went to Wuhan, working for the China Motion Picture Studio 中國電影製片廠, a government-operated studio responsible for producing anti-Japanese propaganda and documentaries. In August 1938, he moved to Chongqing, heading the music department of the Central Broadcasting System 中央廣播電台[27] and teaching music at Yuzai School 育才學校.

Post WWII, Hè was active in Yan’an and the Northeast. In 1949, he became the Chair of the Music Department at Beijing Normal University and was involved in the preparation for the National Music Conservatory (today’s Central Music Conservatory 中央音樂學院). Later that year, he was appointed Director of Shanghai Music Conservatory, his Alma Mater.

A Chinese version of Monsieur Croche,Debussy’s critical essays on various composers, translated by Zhang Yuhe 張裕禾, appeared in 1963. On May 20, an article written by Yao Wenyuan 姚文元 criticizing Debussy’s view being self-indulgent and anti-proletariat, was published in Wenhui Bao (文匯報, Wenhui Daily).[28] Hè Luting, under the pen name Shan Gu 山谷 , responded with his opinions, discrediting Yao sharply. This exchange stirred up a cycle of arguments on placing political judgements over artistic and literary works. Hè, insisting that criticism of music or literature must be based on thorough understanding of the works, became the target of negative commentaries and landed on the wrong side of the political trend.[29]

Being an artist associated with Western music and a high-ranking administrator, Hè, despite his close relationship with CCP, was blacklisted as an Anti-Party and Anti-Socialism individual at the outset of the Cultural Revolution in June of 1966. Both he and his wife were tortured severely by the Red Guards. Hè was officially arrested on March 21, 1968, and remained in jail until 1973. During these years, he was often humiliated and physically abused in so-called “struggle sessions 批鬥大會.”[30] Some of the struggle sessions were broadcast on TV and led by his former student Yu Huiyong 于會泳. Hè stood his ground.[31] His three daughters, refusing to denounce him, were also persecuted. The second daughter Hè Xiaoqiu 賀曉秋, an up-and-coming composer, eventually took her own life.

By 1979, he was reinstated as the Director of Shanghai Music Conservatory. Five years later, he retired with the title of Honorary Director. He died of pneumonia in 1999.

Jialing jiang shang

Written shortly after Duanmu Hongliang’s arrival in Chongqing, Jialing jiang shang is a free-form vernacular poem. It can be divided into a few sections: Verses one to four are descriptive—the traditional 賦 approach; verses five to eight compare the current state to the old times nostalgically— 比; verses nine to seventeen are filled with arising energy and determinations—xing 興.[32] Most verses rhyme on [ang] ㄤ, while verse nine to twelve all end on the phrase 回去 [hui2 qu4] ㄏㄨㄟˊ ㄑㄩˋ (return).

The opening phrase of verse five, 一樣的流水—literally, “the same flowing water”—was a figurative expression. Duanmu’s hometown Changtu was not near any major body of water. He was likely comparing Jialing River to Songhua River 松花江, the subject of the popular patriotic song by Zhang Hanhui 張寒暉, which might have been the inspiration for the new poem.

According to an anecdotal account by poet/Journalist Zhang Tianshou 張天授, during a visit by Fang Yin 方殷, a fellow member of the League of Left-Wing Writers, Duanmu commented on Songhua jiang shang, saying that it was worthy of all the enthusiasm but was too despondent. Fang encouraged him to create his own verses with more invigorating spirit. Later, Fang invited Hè Luting to set the newly written verses to music.

Several things are noteworthy in Hè’s musical setting, first published in the inaugural issue of the music journal Yue Feng 樂風 in January 1940:

  • Parallel phraseologies between the texts and music: After the eight-bar piano introduction, the vocal line opens with a dramatic leap of a sixth, emphasizing the word tian (天, day) before continuing through the verses in a narrative manner, while the piano, seemingly only punctuating the measures, subtly handles the emotional transitions as the tension of the words rises and falls. The first turning point takes place in m. 18 with a cross-range large leap followed by descending arpeggio in the right-hand part. Where the text moves from remembering the tragic past to realizations of the current moment. As the emotion intensifies, the musical dynamics increase accordingly. Then, in m. 25, with solemn repeating chords, the piano accompaniment leads the vocal lines into a reflective mood for verses five to eight. At the end of this section, in m. 38, the piano part rises up, taking the piece into its final climax.
  • Influences from Western vocal traditions: As a whole, the piece has the style of an Italian arioso. Throughout the entire song, the vocal lines, punctuated by the tonic and the dominant, clearly delineate the minor tonality.  In the introduction, after an octave call with sustained notes, the piano delivers a descending pattern characteristic of an operatic melisma (mm. 3-4). This pattern recurs in the lower piano part in mm 31-32, where it can be interpreted as the murmuring sound of the river, mentioned in the following line of lyrics. Other rhetorical figures include the melismatic treatment of the word 笑 (laughter) in m. 29 and the short trill in m. 48 on 羔 (lambs), both examples of onomatopoeia.
  • The simplicity of the piano accompaniment allows the singer the freedom to punctuate the texts and deliver the emotional details.

In comparison to Songhua jiang shang, Jialing jiang shang is, technically, a more challenging work for the singer. During the wartime, it never gained the popularity that Songhua jiang shang enjoyed. Nevertheless, it became a staple of recital repertoire in later years. Renowned bass-baritone Sze Yikwei 斯義桂 included the song in his recital at Taipei City Hall 中山堂 in August 1957.[33] It was a rare performance of the piece in Taiwan, which would have been prohibited under martial law for the song’s political lineage. In 2016, baritone Sheng Yang 沈洋 gave his interpretation of Jialing jiang shang in a recital commemorating the first decades of Chinese art songs (1919-1945). The song will likely stand the test of time just like the river.


[1] 嘉陵江水系; Google Map, Jialing River Source
[2] Zhao Jia 趙嘉, aka King Jia of Dai 代王嘉, was the last surviving member of the royal family of the State of Zhao during the Warring State Period. His mausoleum is no longer in existence. A mountain in the region is named Daiwang Shan (代王山, Mountain of King Dai).Jia_of_Zhao_Wiki
[3] The headwaters of Xihan River originate near Li County 禮縣, Gansu Province 甘肅省 from the southwestern slopes of western Qin Mountains. Xihan_river_grokipedia
[4] Bailong River (白龍江, White Dragon River) begins at Langmu Temple 郎木寺 in Zoigê 若爾蓋縣, the northernmost county of the Sichuan Province and a Autonomous Prefecture of Tibetan and Qiang.
Bailong_River_Wiki, Zoigê County_Wiki, 若爾蓋縣_zh.wiki/zh-tw
[5] See Endnote 1 in Musical-settings-xvi-ballad-of-the-great-wall-長城謠_goldfishodyssey.com
[6] Wu_Daozi_Wiki,. 唐朝名畫錄, 中國哲學書電子化計劃_ctext.org
Zhu mentioned that a second painter Li Sixun 李思訓 was also summoned to paint in the palace. Contrary to Wu, Li spent months to achieve realistic details: “. . . 時有李思訓將軍,山水擅名,帝亦宣於大同殿圖,累月方畢。明皇云:「李思訓數月之功,吳道子一日之迹,皆極其妙也。」” Nevertheless, Li died decades earlier in 718.
[7] 郎木寺_zh.wiki , taktsang-lhamo-monastery_mandala.library.virginia.edu
[8] Hechuan,_Chongqing_Wiki, Beibei,_Chongqing_Wiki,
Apple Maps, Jialingjiang Xiaosanxia, 嘉陵江小三峽_baike.baidu.com
[9] 端木 Duanmu is a rare compound (two-character) surname 複姓. Duanmu_Wiki
[10]In 1928, Duanmu changed his name to Cao Jingping 曹京平 for his respect to Warring Stats Period poet Qu Yuan (c. 340 BC – 278 BC). His other noms de plume included Quan Yè 荃葉, Luo Xuan 羅旋, Xin Ren 辛人, Yè Zhilin 葉之琳, Cao Ping 曹坪.
[11] Liaoning was previously known as Fengtian 奉天 and was renamed in 1929.
[12] Chinese_Northeast_Writers_Group_Wiki, 東北作家群_zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw
[13] https:///The Iron Flood and Its-Manchurian Followers_Rethinking the Northeastern Writers Ggroup in A Global Context_Liu Dong/www.csgc.hku.hk
[14] Tianjin_Nankai_High_School_Wiki
[15] League_of_Left-Wing_Writers_Wiki
[16] Michael Lestz, “Duanmu Hongliang and the Background of ‘Looking for a House,’” Modern Chinese Literature Newsletter 6, no. 1 (1980): 26. http://www.jstor.org/stable/42769651
[17] 阿魯科爾沁旗_zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw , Banners_of_Inner_Mongolia_Wiki, Ar_Horqin_Banner_Wiki, 科爾沁旗草原.pdf_wikipedia_commons
[18] https://www.chinawriter.com.cn/n1/2020/1119/c404063-31936611.html
This webpage contains an image of a hand-written entry form (c. 1982) for Who’s Who in China 中國名人錄 with a chronological listing of Duanmu’s professional activities.
[19] Lestz, Ibid., 27.
[20] Duanmu’s essays on his interpretation of the Red Chamber are collected and edited by Xu Xuepeng 徐學鵬 in Dream of the Red Chamber: detailed interpretation 細說紅樓夢, edited by (Writers Publishing House 作家出版社, 2006).
[21] The surname 賀 is a fourth-tone word, pronounced with a schwa-sounding vowel and an “h”-sounding consonance: Youtube.com/賀 It is marked /xɤ⁵¹/ in IPA and ㄏㄜˋin Zhuyin. Its pinyin, , should not be confused with the English third-person pronoun “he.” 綠, meaning “green,” is usually pronounced . Here, a less common pronunciation is applied.
[22] Hè’s birthname was Anqing 安卿. He also went by Kai 楷 and Baozhen 抱真.
[23] Hè Luting was later known as one of the Four Great Disciples of Huang Zi 黃自四大弟子, along with Chen Tianhe 陳田鶴, Jiang Dingxian 江定仙, and Liu Xue’an 劉雪庵.
[24] Hè submitted three pieces for the competition. With the one prize per person rule, his “Lullaby” was placed an honorary second. Melodically, Mudong duandi is of the character of Chinese folksongs. In simple A-B-A form, its outer sections are in fluent two-part polyphonic imitation. The middle section is with vivid staccato accompaniment.
[25] Mingxing_Wiki
[26] Both songs were based on folk ballades of Suzhou 蘇州. The_Wandering_Songstress_Wiki, Youtube.com/周璇 四季歌, Youtube.com/周璇 天涯歌女
[27] Radio_Taiwan_International#History_Wiki
[28] Yao_Wenyuan_Wiki, Wenhui_Bao_Wiki
[29]monsieur_croche_debussy_archive.org, debussy-changed-scholars-fate_interlude.hk
[30] Struggle_session_Wiki
[31] Yu_Huiyong_Wiki, waou.com.mo/2023/12/21/新華澳報—文革四位帥哥部長的最終結局
[32] Chinese-poetry-i-classic-of-poetry-詩經_goldfishodyssey
[33] Youtube.com/斯義桂 Live in Taipei, 1957

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

This entry is part 38 of 40 in the series Chinese Art Song

“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