HEART OF THE DRAGON ENSEMBLE

The Heart of the Dragon Ensemble is a UK-based professional Chinese musicians' group that holds regular concerts and educational programmes throughout the UK. Apart from playing traditional and classical Chinese music, the group also creates new compositions and productions.

The Ensemble was founded and is led by composer and producer Jiang Li. Widely acclaimed as a composer of the new generation in the UK as well as in mainland China, and with a performing and composing career spanning more than thirty years, Jiang Li has produced a repertoire rich in Chinese music with Western influences.

Jiang Li has been awarded a Fellowship Programme from NESTA - the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts. He was also one of three finalists for a Pearl Award in the Creative Excellence category.

Here, Jiang Li and the Heart of the Dragon Ensemble present the music of a variety of Chinese festivals celebrated throughout the . A note from the producer

Music is an expression of spiritual emotions. Looking back at Chinese history, it is not difficult to find that festivals and music are integrated and have evolved together. When music, dance and street arts add cultural colour to the festival, the festival provides an opportunity for these art forms to flourish.

Included in this album is a good selection of such music that tell the stories of Chinese festivals: the drum beats for the dragon boat race in the Dragon Boat festival (“Three Dragons”), the lyrical tunes between the erhu and xiao on Chinese Valentine’s day (“Valentine Melody” & “Moonlight on Spring Water”), the harvest drums during the Mid-Autumn festival (“Autumn Celebration”), and the smooth ‘water-flow’-like melodies of the guzheng depicting ancient mythical stories (“Four Pieces of Silk”). As well as new works, this album also includes famous classical pieces.

I had great pleasure working with the talented UK-based musicians from Heart of the Dragon Ensemble (www.chinesemusic.co.uk). As always, they work hard to promote and showcase Chinese traditional music to audiences in the UK and around the world. The musicians are from a mixture of different backgrounds.

Although they all started their instrumental training when they were young in China (and started their professional musical careers there), some of them have continued their studies here in the UK and others have settled here due to their artistic excellence. Most members of the Heart of the Dragon Ensemble also have their own projects, as well as performing with other Chinese and western professional groups.

I would also like to use this opportunity to thank ARC Music for their support and hard work in promoting ethnic and world music, and for providing a platform for new Chinese music to be published and reach international audiences. I hope to continue our partnership for a long time to come. Chinese Festivals

China has 5,000 years of continuous civilisation. Customs that have evolved over a long history are carried out in the celebrations of important life events, such as births, weddings, funerals and remembering ancestors. These customs reflect the everyday life of Chinese people, their traditions and Chinese mythological stories.

In the course of social development and change, the original meaning behind some festivals faded from memory, and were eventually forgotten, as new religions and beliefs came about. Such festivals became associated with particular religions and beliefs, such as the three main beliefs in China: Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism.

中国传统节日

中国有5000年的文明。 在悠久的历史发展中，民间的文化与习俗在生活中体现出来，例如各 种节日，出生，婚礼，葬礼和祭祀祖先等。 这些习俗体现了中国人的日常生活，传统和历史 上的神话故事。

在社会发展和变革的过程中，节日背后的原始意义随着新的宗教和信仰的出现而逐渐改变， 消失并最终被遗忘。 很多节日与特定的宗教和信仰有关，例如中国的三个主要信仰：儒家， 道教和佛教。 Spring Festival and Traditional Customs

The Spring Festival, also known as the Lunar New Year (*1), is the most important festival. The celebrations last for 16 days from New Year’s Eve and end on the day of the Lantern Festival. In traditional custom, each day has special activities that people either should or shouldn’t do. (*1) 农历 A lunar calendar is based upon the monthly cycles of the Moon’s phases. This is in contrast to solar calendars, whose annual cycles are based upon the solar year. In preparation for the New Year, people do a thorough clean of their house. This represents putting away old things, bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming in the new. Special decorations such as door couplets, red lanterns and paper cut-outs are displayed. These decorations are thought to bring good luck, ward away evil, and bring about for good health and prosperity. Special New Year food is purchased and prepared. Traditionally, people only bought new clothes for the coming year which were to last them the whole year. On New Year’s Eve, there is a family reunion dinner. Dishes with lucky and symbolic meanings are eaten, such as fish (prosperity), sweet rice balls (family union), noodles (longevity), dumplings (wealth) and others. Families then stay up late to welcome in the new lunar year. On Chinese New Year’s Day, fireworks and firecrackers are lit to celebrate and to scare off bad spirits. Lucky money in red envelopes are gifted to children and are believed to bring good luck. Housework is not carried out in the next couple of days as this may “sweep away” good luck and fortune accrued in the first couple of days. Traditionally, on the second day, married daughters visit their maternal home with their husbands. They will also take red envelopes with lucky money inside for children and gifts for parents and relatives. On the third day to the seventh day, people visit their relatives and friends. Some people will also go to visit the graves and tombs of their ancestors. “Sacrifices” will include fresh food, such as whole roast piglet, and fresh fruits are offered to show respect and piety. Ancestral spirits are thought to protect their descendants and help them become prosperous and successful. Eight is a lucky number in China. On the eighth day of Chinese New Year, most people return to work, and businesses reopen. 春节

春节也被称为农历新年，是最重要的节日。 庆祝活动从新年前夕持续16天，结束于元宵节。 在传统习俗中，每天都有应该要做及不应该做的事。

人们为了迎接新的一年，彻底地进行大扫除，做到干干净净，告别旧年，欢迎新年。 新春装 饰如对联，红灯笼和剪纸。 这些装饰被认为带来好运，赶走邪恶，祈求幸福安康，财源广 进。 购买新年食品。 人们还会在新年穿上新衣服。

在新年前夕，人人回家吃团圆饭。 所有的菜肴都象征着新年幸运，如鱼 （年年有余），汤圆（团圆美满），面条（长寿），饺子（交好运）等。 除夕当天，要说吉 祥话，守岁整个晚上。

新年的第一天，辞旧岁、迎新年、鞭炮齐响、烟花满天、驱赶年兽。 大人会给孩子们发利士红包，里面有幸运钱，据说可以带来好运。

接下来的两天内是不可以打扫卫生的，因为这样容易把家中的财气扫掉。

传统上，新年的第二天，已婚的女儿会在这一天和她丈夫一起回娘家， 还要带着派给小孩的红包及送给家人的礼物。

在新年的第三天到第七天，人们拜访亲戚和朋友。也有些人还会去拜祖宗。 参拜时的“供 品” 包括全烧乳猪, 新鲜水果蔬菜等新鲜食物, 以对先人的尊重和虔诚。 祖灵被认为可以保估 他们的后代。 成年人会发红包给孩子们，据说会带来了好运。

中国人认为8是幸运数字，大多数公司都会在第8天开门营业。 Lantern Festival

On the 15th day of the Chinese New Year, people mark the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations by lighting lanterns and releasing them into the sky or releasing floating lanterns on to flowing water. There are often firework displays and bonfires. Because it is the first full moon night of the year, families will gather for dinner.

元宵节

在农历新年的第十五天，人们点亮灯笼并释放到天空或将灯笼放到水上漂浮，以庆祝新年活动 的结束。 元宵节还会有烟花表演和燃点灯火。 因为它是新年的第一个月圆之夜，元宵节一家人 也会回家一齐吃晚饭。

Ching Ming Festival and Customs

The Ching Ming Festival, also known as the Tomb Sweeping Day, is an important day and usually falls around April 5th of the Gregorian calendar. It has a history of over 2,500 years. It is the day of worshipping the ancestors, cleaning the graves and making ritual offerings including traditional food, and burning of joss sticks and joss paper. It also marks the beginning of spring when people will often take part in a sporting activity or enjoy an outdoor activity such as kite flying. Little lanterns are tied to the kites. When the kite is flying, its strings are cut, setting the kite free, symbolizing the elimination of diseases.

清明节

清明节是一个重要的日子，通常在公历的4月5日左右。 它有2500多年的历史。 这是一个拜祖 先，清理坟墓和进行祭祀仪式的日子，活动包括享用传统食物和燃烧香火。 清明节也标志着春 天的开始，人们还会参与放风筝等户外活动。 把小灯笼绑在风筝上，当风筝飞上了天空后，再 把风筝线剪断，象征把消除疾病放走。 Dragon Boat Festival

The Dragon Boat Festival, also known as Duanwu, is a traditional festival occurring on the 5th day of the 5th month of the lunar calendar, which is usually around the summer solstice.

The legend says that the important tradition of dragon boat racing originates from people paddling out on boats to seek the body of the famous poet Qu Yuan, who drowned himself in a river. It became a traditional festival for the Chinese to commemorate Qu Yuan. Wooden boats are decorated like dragons, measuring around 20-40 metres and requiring 30-50 people to row. Paddling of the boat is accompanied by the beating of a large drum placed at the front of the boat. All rowers follow the beat.

Zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) is a popular festival food. These are triangular rice parcels filled with meat and beans wrapped in bamboo leaves. The legend says that lumps of rice were thrown into the river to stop fish eating Qu Yuans’ body.

端午节

端午节是在农历五月初五的传统节日，通常在夏至左右。

传说中龙舟赛的重要传统源于人们在船上划船寻找投河自尽诗人屈原的尸体, 这个活动慢慢成 为人们纪念屈原的传统节日。 木船装饰得像一条大约20-40米的龙，需要30-50人划。 竞赛时船 头还有一个鼓手击鼓，船员们根据鼓的节奏，一齐用力划船。

端午节的节日食品是粽子，粽子里面装满用竹叶包裹起来的米饭，肉类及豆子。 传说把粽子扔 到河里，以阻止鱼吃屈原的身体。 Jiang Li Wang Beibei Guo Yi Li Ming

Wang Xiao Cindy Ni Zhu Xiao Meng Hu Ruijun Mengmeng Jiang Li Wang Beibei Guo Yi Li Ming

Wang Xiao Cindy Ni Zhu Xiao Meng Hu Ruijun Wu Mengmeng Qixi Festival

The Qixi festival, also known as Qiqiao festival, falls on the 7th day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar; it is “Chinese Valentine’s Day”. This festival celebrates the mythical annual meeting of the cowherd and the weaver girl. Their love was forbidden and they were banished to opposite sides of the Milky Way. They were only allowed to meet once a year via a bridge formed of magpies. A pair of magpies came to symbolize happiness and faithfulness. The festival symbolizing love. This festival has inspired the popular Japanese festival of Tanabata.

七夕

七夕节，又称乞巧节，在农历七月初七，是“中国情人节”。 这个节日纪念牛郎织女的神话。 他们的爱是被禁止的，天隔一方。 他们每年只能有一次通过由喜鹊搭成的桥来会面。 一对喜鹊 象征着幸福和忠诚。 这是一个象征爱情的节日。

Mid-Autumn Festival

Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon festival, is a time to celebrate the harvest. It falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. The moon is at its fullest and brightest on this day, and this symbolizes family reunion. The Mid-Autumn Festival began in the , and by the time of the Ming and Qing Dynasties it had become one of the major festivals in China.

Mid-Autumn festival also symbolizes thanksgiving for the harvest and praying for good fortune, including a new baby, a spouse or long life.

Activities include enjoying the bright full moon and eating moon cake, a rich pastry filled with sweet bean paste. The round cake symbolizes completeness and reunion. The moon cake is cut by the most senior family member and is distributed to the rest of the family. There are colourful street performances of dragon and lion dances. People light lanterns, which symbolize fertility. 中秋节

中秋节，同时也是庆祝秋收的时候。 它是在农历八月十五日。 在这一天，园月当空，象征着家 庭团聚。 中秋节开始于唐代，到明清时期，它已成为中国的重要节日之一。 这个节日也象征着 感恩和祈求好运，包括新生儿，配偶或长寿。

中秋节的活动包括赏月, 吃月饼。圆形月饼象征着完整和家庭团聚。月饼由家里的长老切分， 发给其他家庭成员。节日其间也有舞龙, 舞狮, 舞蹈及丰富多彩的街头表演。人们点亮灯笼，象 征着幸福美满长寿。

Double Ninth Festival (Chong Yang Festival)

Legend has it that every year the “illness-monster” would come to the village, and the villagers were extremely afraid. Under the guidance of a fairy, a young man named Hengjing asked the villagers to climb up the mountains to escape on the 9th day of the 9th month. He also used a sword given by the fairy to kill the illness-monster. People now commemorate this event with the . People visit the graves of their ancestors to pay respects and offer food and fruit. Other customs include admiring chrysanthemums, which are in full bloom at that time, and enjoying drinking chrysanthemum tea.

重阳节

传说，每年“疾魔”都会来到村里，村民恐惧万分。 在得到一个仙人的指导下，一个名叫恒景 的年轻人在农历九月九日，要求村民爬到高山上逃避”疾魔”，他用仙人给的一把宝剑，杀死 了疾魔。 人们在重阳节的这一天节登，扫墓，并提供食物和水果，以表达对祖先的敬意。 其他 习俗包括欣赏盛开的菊花，享受饮用菊花茶。 Winter Solstice

The winter solstice is an important traditional festival in the Chinese lunar calendar. The festival can be traced back more than 2,500 years, when China had used the Tugui(*) to observe the Sun, and had already determined occurrence of the winter solstice.

In northern China, people eat dumplings. In the south, people eat soup dumplings. In some areas of Shandong, it is customary to drink mutton soup, which will keep out the cold. Eating habits vary from place to place, but eating dumplings is the most common.

* Tugui (tǔ guī) is the oldest timing instrument.

冬至

冬至是中国农历的重要传统节日之一，这个节日可以追溯到2500多年前春秋时代，当时中国已 经用土圭(*)观测太阳并确定了冬至。

在中国北方人们在冬至吃饺子，而南方则是吃汤圆。 在山东的一些地区习惯喝羊肉汤，寓意驱 除寒冷之意。饮食习惯因地而异，吃饺子是最常见的。

(*) 土圭(tǔ guī)是最古老的计时仪器。 1. Three Dragons 三龙竞舟

At the Dragon Boat Festival, up and down the country, crowds gather along the banks of rivers. Hotly contested races between the dragon boats, drums beating, people shouting. Three dragons (represented as three big drums in the piece) compete against each other. Other percussion instruments including Chinese cymbals, gongs and small toms (tanggu) portray the speed, spray of the water and cheering from the banks, heightening the dramatic atmosphere. This is a very powerful piece, centred around Chinese traditional drumming.

在端午节中竞赛的龙舟。三个大鼓（三条龙）在整个乐曲中相互竞争。其他乐器包括中国钹， 锣，小堂鼓，描绘出快节奏，河上的浪花，河岸的助庆声，令人兴奋的气氛，突出比赛的戏剧 性场景。这是一首非常有气势的中国鼓乐曲。

2. Spring Is Here 新春

The Spring Festival is the beginning of the Lunar New Year, and is the most important festival in China. This piece of music is based on the ‘Zhao Yuzhai Guzheng’ song. The melody is bright and joyful, with contrasting tempos. Overall, the piece portrays the happy scenes of people celebrating Spring, with people singing and dancing to songs such as this one.

春节(农历新年)，是农历一年的开始, 是一年中最重要的节日。这首乐曲根据赵玉斋古筝曲改编, 乐曲旋律明快，速度快慢对比，生动地表现了人民在中国新年里热闹欢腾、喜气洋溢、敲锣打 鼓、载歌载舞的快乐场面。 3. Moonlight on Spring Water 春江花月夜

This is a famous song, a classic in Chinese traditional music. With its smooth melody, changing rhythms and contrasting sounds of the different instruments, the music depicts the fascinating scenery of the Spring River in moonlight, and the beauty of Jiangnan towns.

这首乐曲是中国古典音乐中的名曲和经典。 乐曲通过流畅的旋律，多变的节奏，各种乐器音色的 对比，丝丝入扣的演奏，形象地描绘了月夜春江的迷人景色，尽情赞颂江南水乡的美景风姿。

4. Thunder After the Drought 旱天雷

This piece originated from the second section of the opera 'Three Treasures', which was adapted into a famous Cantonese song by Yan Laolie. The track is lively with a cheerful rhythm, conveying an optimistic and upward mood. It expresses the excitement of the people watching dark rain clouds approaching and hearing thunder after a long drought.

此曲源于广东戏曲《三宝佛》中第二段《三级浪》，由严老烈改编成为一首著名的广东音乐。 经过加花、润饰后的《旱天雷》全曲活泼流畅，生机盎然，节奏欢快，表现出乐观向上的情 绪。表达了天逢久旱，人们看到乌云，听到雷声时所表现的喜悦心情。

5. Valentine Melody 情人调

The guzheng and the pipa represent a flowing stream and the stars twinkling in a calm and peaceful night. With a smooth melody, the duet between the erhu and xiao describes a Valentine’s Day evening in which lovers spend time with each other, writing love stories.

乐曲用古筝和琵琶刻画出一个小河淌水，星光点点，平静安宁的夜晚。又以流畅的旋律，二胡 和笛的对歌，描述了在情人节的晚上，情侣们相依相伴，对对双双，编写着他们的爱情故事。 6. Lantern Festival 闹元宵

This is a piece adapted from Shanxi folk songs. The percussion instrument brings a rich sense of rhythm to the music, and the musical mood is warm and enthusiastic, describing the festive and lively scene of the Lantern Festival. The contrasts within the music are vivid. The song has a lively ending.

“闹元宵”是一首根据山西民歌改编的乐曲。 打击乐器给乐曲带来了丰富的节奏感，音乐情 绪欢快热烈， 烘托了元宵节喜庆而热闹的场面。 乐曲各部分对比鲜明， 全曲在热闹欢腾的 气氛中结束。

7. Four Pieces of Silk 四段锦

This track is a combination of four pieces of 'Shandong Dabanzheng' in a smoothly flowing form. The music describes the beautiful scenery of a home town, and the celebration of the harvest. The first section is gentle, depicting bamboo swaying in the breeze. The second section is slightly faster and more powerful. In the third section, the melody is smooth and flows like water. Due to the fingering of the player, the instrument sounds powerful here. Finally, in part four, the song reaches a climax.

此曲由四首山东大板筝曲以连奏的形式组成，由赵玉斋作曲。乐曲描绘了家乡的优美景色与人 们以载歌载舞的形式来庆贺节日及丰收的情景。首段速度平缓，体现微风吹动翠竹摇摆时的情 景；次段速度稍快，铿锵有力，富有颗粒性；三段腕指关节迅速放松，达到旋律流畅如流水； 末段快速度中变换各种节奏型，指法使乐器发出铿锵有力的音质，最后全曲达到高潮。 8. Happy Year 幸福年

This piece is rearranged from a traditional Chinese celebration track that was composed by Liu Mingyuan. The theme of the piece is based on folk music from northern China. The whole song is short, but paints a picture of the increasingly prosperous scene in China’s rural areas, and the happy mood of farmers after a good harvest. Overall, it shows the optimistic character of Chinese people during this time.

刘明源作曲，乐曲的主题取材于北方民间音乐，有鲜明地方色彩，全曲短小精悍，洒脱而又 亲切。反映了我国农村蒸蒸日上的景象和喜获丰收的农民愉悦舒畅的心情。展示了中国人民 乐观的民族性格。

9. Tea-Picking Festival 采茶灯

The Longyan tea-picking festival, is a large folk festival event that is popular in urban and rural areas of Longyan, Fujian. The festival combines Chinese drama, dance and rap. Tea-picking has been popular in Meishan since the mid-19th century, and was introduced from Guangdong by the 17th generation of the Lin family of the Meishan Village. The music demonstrates the labour endured during the tea-picking season, when the head woman, followed by the young men, then the girls, came to the tea garden to pick the Spring tea.

龙岩采茶灯又名采茶扑蝶，是流行于福建龙岩城乡的民间歌舞，融说唱、戏曲、舞蹈为一体 的综合性群众文娱活动形式。采茶灯从19世纪中期开始在美山流行，采茶曲谱和战鼓是美山 村林氏十七世祖由广东传入的。乐曲表现了采茶时节的劳动场景：由茶婆领头，村姑们尾随 着武生、男丑在采茶锣鼓的乐声中，来到茶园中采春茶的情况。 10. Autumn Celebration 庆中秋

Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as Harvest Festival, is an important festival in the Chinese lunar calendar. This piece of music uses different elements of Chinese traditional music to describe the activities during the Mid- Autumn Festival. The grand opening of the song symbolizes the arrival of the festival. The alternating instruments increase the tension, and people start singing and dancing. This is followed by a slow section, as people enjoy the full moon and eat moon-cakes. When the rhythm starts again, the celebration begins another phase in which the people light lanterns and parade down the street. The finale represents a big gathering and general festivity.

中秋节，在西方也称丰收节，是中国农历的重要节日。这首音乐用中国传统音乐的不同元素来描述这个 节日期间的活动。盛大而隆重的开幕象征着节日的到来，乐器和鼓之间的轮奏随着人们开始唱歌和跳舞 而产生的怒闹的节日气氛，就像中秋节里的舞火龙活动。接下来的缓慢部分，是人们开始了拜月，赏月 和吃月饼。当节奏再次加快时，庆祝活动开始了另一个阶段，人们手提着灯笼，沿着街道游行，并与灯 笼共舞。最后的结局是大聚会，共同庆祝。

Heart of the Dragon Ensemble:

Jiang Li - Musical Director: Chinese percussion (tr 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10) Wang Beibei: Chinese percussion (tr 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10) Cindy Ni: pipa, yuan (tr 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10) sanxian, liuqin (tr 8) Wang Xiao: erhu, zhonghu, banhu (tr 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10) Guo Yi: sheng (tr 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10) / Li Ming: yangqin (tr 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10) Hu Ruijun: dizi (tr 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10) / Zhu Xiao Meng: guzheng (tr 3, 5, 8, 9, 10) Wu Mengmeng: guzheng (tr 7) An ARC Music production Produced by Jiang Li, for ARC Music | Recorded at CPP Music Productions, Rushden, England Engineering, mixing, mastering: Jiang Li | Final mastering: Diz Heller Graphic design: Jesse Wilson | Liner notes: Jiang Li (ed. Diz Heller) ℗ 2019, ARC Music Productions International Ltd