New Songs of the Battlefield”: Songs and Memories of the Chinese Cultural Revolution
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“NEW SONGS OF THE BATTLEFIELD”: SONGS AND MEMORIES OF THE CHINESE CULTURAL REVOLUTION by Lei Ouyang Bryant BA, Macalester College, 1997 MA, University of Pittsburgh, 2001 Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of College of Arts and Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Pittsburgh 2004 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH FACULTY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES This dissertation was presented by Lei Ouyang Bryant It was defended on April 13, 2004 and approved by Nicole Constable, Professor of Anthropology Mathew Rosenblum, Associate Professor of Music Wenfang Tang, Associate Professor of Political Science Andrew Weintraub, Assistant Professor of Music Dissertation Director: Bell Yung, Professor of Music ii Copyright by Lei Ouyang Bryant 2004 iii “NEW SONGS OF THE BATTLEFIELD”: SONGS AND MEMORIES OF THE CHINESE CULTURAL REVOLUTION Lei Ouyang Bryant, PhD University of Pittsburgh, 2004 This dissertation focuses on a five-volume anthology of songs published from 1972 to 1976 known as “Zhandi Xinge,” literally “New Songs of the Battlefield.” The songs represent a significant portion of the limited musical expression during a period in China known as the Cultural Revolution (1966-76). Published and approved by the Chinese Communist Party, the anthology appeared at a time when artistic and musical activities were extremely restricted. The government utilized this particular musical form for multiple goals, including the propagation of political ideologies, stimulation of party support, and education of the masses. Based upon original research and personal interviews, the dissertation provides the first documentation and analysis of the anthology in any language. Analysis focuses on the official ideology as situated in its socio-historical context, and an examination of individual reception and memory. The study begins with an introduction to the Cultural Revolution period, followed by an investigation of the composition, editing, compilation, themes, texts, and musical characteristics of the anthology. The dissertation concludes with an analysis of the contemporary memory of Cultural Revolution songs while considering concepts of music, memory, and nostalgia. The analysis reveals that the major factors influencing how the music is remembered iv and who remembers it, is dependent upon a combination of features including music and memory, generational imprinting and changes in contemporary Chinese society. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................. xi 1. BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY....................................................................................... 1 1.1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 1 1.1.1. The Great Proletariat Cultural Revolution.............................................................. 1 1.1.2. “New Songs of the Battlefield”............................................................................... 3 1.1.3. The Role of “New Songs” in the Development of Revolutionary Music in China 4 1.1.4. Contemporary Chinese Society............................................................................... 5 1.1.5. Individual Reception and Memory ......................................................................... 6 1.2. CHAPTER OUTLINE.................................................................................................... 7 1.3. RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK ............................ 8 1.4. LITERATURE REVIEW............................................................................................. 11 1.4.1. History of the Cultural Revolution ....................................................................... 11 1.4.2. Music and Arts in Contemporary China ............................................................... 14 1.4.3. Music, Memory, and Nostalgia............................................................................. 17 1.5. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.................................................................................. 19 1.5.1. Written Sources..................................................................................................... 19 1.5.2. Audio Visual Sources ........................................................................................... 20 1.5.3. Personal Communication...................................................................................... 21 1.5.3.1 Beijing Sources. .............................................................................................. 21 1.5.3.2 US Sources...................................................................................................... 21 1.5.4. Public Opinion Survey.......................................................................................... 22 1.5.5. Transcriptions, Translations, and Transliterations................................................ 24 2. THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION AND ITS MUSIC ....................................................... 25 2.1. HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT................................................................................ 25 2.2. “THE GREAT PROLETARIAT CULTURAL REVOLUTION” ............................... 28 2.3. IMPACTS OF THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION ON CHINESE SOCIETY........... 34 2.4. HISTORICAL INTERPRETATIONS..........................................................................36 2.5. HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF REVOLUTIONARY MUSIC: OFFICIAL CULTURAL POLICIES................................................................... 39 2.6. MUSIC OF THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION.......................................................... 44 2.6.1. 1966-69: the early years....................................................................................... 44 2.6.2. 1969-1971: silence............................................................................................... 52 2.6.3. 1971-1976: return to tradition.............................................................................. 52 3. INTRODUCTION TO THE ANTHOLOGY ....................................................................... 54 3.1. FOUNDATION AND COMPILATION...................................................................... 55 3.2. FORMAT AND ORGANIZATION............................................................................. 57 vi 3.3. COMPOSERS, LYRICISTS, AND EDITORS............................................................ 62 3.4. DISSEMINATION ....................................................................................................... 66 3.5. CREATING THE “NEW SONGS” ANTHOLOGY: PERSONAL TESTAMENTS............................................................................... 69 3.5.1. Composer Wang....................................................................................................70 3.5.2. Composer Chen..................................................................................................... 71 3.5.3. Composer Yuan.................................................................................................... 74 3.5.4. Composer Li..........................................................................................................75 3.6. SUMMARY.................................................................................................................. 77 4. THEMATIC AND TEXTUAL ANALYSIS........................................................................ 80 4.1. OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................. 80 4.2. CCP CLASSICS........................................................................................................... 82 4.2.1. Historic Revolutionary Songs............................................................................... 83 4.2.2. Revolutionary Folk Songs .................................................................................... 91 4.2.3. Mao Poetry Songs................................................................................................. 97 4.3. PRAISE SONGS, BATTLE SONGS, AND SONGS PROMOTING POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS................................. 99 4.4. SONGS OF ETHNIC NATIONALITIES .................................................................. 104 4.5. SONGS OF THE WORKERS, PEASANTS, AND SOLDIERS............................... 109 4.6. YOUTH AND CHILDREN’S SONGS...................................................................... 117 4.7. SONGS OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS......................................................... 121 4.8. SUMMARY................................................................................................................ 124 5. MUSICAL EXAMPLES.................................................................................................... 127 5.1. OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................... 127 5.1.1. Basic Musical Features ....................................................................................... 128 5.1.2. Instrumentation, Arrangements, and Recordings................................................ 131 5.2. MUSICAL EXAMPLES............................................................................................ 133 5.2.1. CCP Classics....................................................................................................... 133 5.2.2. Newly Composed Songs....................................................................................