Field Investigation and Research on the Musical Culture of the Mulao Ethnic Yifan Festival in Shiwei Ancient Village, Luocheng County, Guangxi

Abstract

The Yifan Festival is a traditional folk activity of the Mulao people, shaped by their rice-based agrarian civilization and religious beliefs. Music functions as an important bridge for the Mulao people to communicate both with one another and gods during the Yifan Festival. The musical culture of the Yifan Festival reflects the lifestyle and behavioral norms of the inhabitants of Shiwei Ancient Village at specific historical moments, while also embodying ethical principles and moral standards of the broader Chinese cultural tradition. These principles and standards are grounded in values of social harmony and collective unity having long shaped the social relations of the Mulao people in Shiwei Ancient Village. The musical culture of the Yifan Festival has undergone significant change with the ongoing development of society, driven by a range of various factors. In this context, the protection and transmission of the musical culture of the Yifan Festival require a multidimensional approach. Drawing primarily on fieldwork, supplemented by literature-based research, this article examines the relationship between musical culture and social harmony in the Mulao people’s Yifan Festival in Shiwei Ancient Village, Luocheng County. It further analyzes the processes, of change affecting this musical tradition, as well as strategies for its protection and inheritance.