The substitution of songs for words in Dong nationality's big songs in Qiandongnan

Because Dong people didn't have their own characters before, many excellent cultural traditions, living customs and social etiquette were handed down from generation to generation by beautiful songs. "Han people have words to pass on books, while Dong people have no words to pass on songs; Ancestors sing to their fathers, and fathers sing to their children and grandchildren "is a true portrayal of Dong national life.".

For a long time, the world music circle thought that there were not many harmony arts in China, and polyphony music only existed in the West. In 195s, Dong folk songs were accidentally discovered by Zheng Lvcheng, a famous musician in China. In 1986, when Guizhou Dong Song Choir went to France to perform, it caused a sensation, and the music circle marveled that it was a major discovery in the history of China music, thus reversing the international opinion that there was no polyphony in China (polyphony: a musical form in which several melodies were simultaneously performed to form an organic whole). ). Dong folk songs are commonly called "Ga Lao" in Dong language, and "Ga" is a song, and "Lao" has grand and ancient meanings. It is a kind of music that is "superior to others" and must be sung by more than three people. Multi-voice, no conductor and no accompaniment are its main characteristics. Simulating the sounds of nature, such as birds chirping, high mountains and flowing water, is a major feature of the creation of big songs and the natural source of big songs. Its main content is to sing about nature, labor, love and human friendship, which is a kind of harmony between man and nature and between people. Therefore, in Dong villages where big songs are popular, there are few behaviors such as fighting, swearing and stealing, and people even "don't close their doors at night, and don't pick up the road", just like Tao Yuanming's "Peach Blossom Garden".