Love Anchored in Unique Ways --Translation and Interpretation of Tujia Minority Ballads “Fourth Sister Huang” and “A Seven-inch-long White Copper Pipe”

Yu Xueying; Xu Zhanghong

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.19

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Love Anchored in Unique Ways --Translation and Interpretation of Tujia Minority Ballads “Fourth Sister Huang” and “A Seven-inch-long White Copper Pipe”

Yu Xueying, Xu Zhanghong

Published in International Journal of Literature and Arts (Volume 9, Issue 6)

Received: 1 October 2021 Accepted: 11 November 2021 Published: 23 November 2021

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Abstract

Tujia Minority, a significant ethnic group in Enshi, Hubei province, P. R. China, has created numerous ballads with artistic and cultural connotations. This paper will concentrate on the outstanding representatives of Tujia minority ballads: Fourth Sister Huang --a love story between a noble girl and a mountain vendor, and A Seven-inch-long White Copper Pipe, which describes an ordinary life scene of a couple. After reviewing the research on the translation of China’s minority ballads, this paper translates the two ballads and interprets them from the perspectives of cultural study, exploring their temporal-geographical features, characters’ identities, cultural philosophical connotation, Enshi’s pipe and tobacco culture and affections between couples. “Fourth Sister Huang” reflects the material and spiritual situation in the embryonic stage of the commodity economy. With the provision of relatively abundant commodities, the young people at that time could pursue their true love tactfully as well as boldly. The couple in the “A Seven-inch-long White Copper Pipe” expressed their deep love by sharing the pipe, which shows the importance of tobacco and pipe in Tujia people’s daily life. Both ballads extol the beauty of love between man and woman and apply the technique of “transmitting emotions by objects”. The stories and characters portrayed in the ballads, as well as their acquaintanceship and expressions, typically represent local customs, historical evolution and traditional Confucian creeds.

Published in	International Journal of Literature and Arts (Volume 9, Issue 6) This article belongs to the Special Issue Translation and Interpretation of 28 Chinese Tujia Minority Ballads
DOI	10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.19
Page(s)	312-319
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Translation and Interpretation of Tujia Minority Ballads, Temporal-geographical Background, Identity, Tobacco Culture, Confucianism

References

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[2]	Fisk, John. (1989) Understanding Popular Culture. Routledge, 2-4.
[3]	Gou Bin. (2009) On the Subject Orientation, Historical Status and Strategies of Translation of Folk Songs. Journal of Xi’an Conservatory of Music, 4 (28), 68-69.
[4]	Li Zehou. (2008) Practical Rationality and Music Culture. Beijing SDX Joint Publishing Company, 29-33, 104-106.
[5]	Liang Gaoyan. (2016) On the Three Principles of English Translation of Ancient and Modern Folk Songs. Explorations in Music, (02), 136.
[6]	Liu Huazhong., Wang Baiquan. (2006) Preliminary research on the mechanism of landslide disaster in Enshi Autonomous Prefecture. Journal of Anhui Agriculture Science, (34), 2233-2234.
[7]	Low, P. (2005) The Pentathlon Approach to Translation Songs [A]. Song and Significance: Virtues and Vices of Vocal Translation [C]. D. Gorlee. (Ed.). Amsterdam: Rodopi B. V: 205-212.
[8]	Tan Defu., Yan Fengjiang., Rong Xianxiang. (2009) Appreciation of Jianshi Folk Songs. Hubei People’s Publishing House. 219-225.
[9]	Tan Zaixi. (2004) A Brief History of Translation in the West. Beijing: The Commercial Press, 15-18, 49-55.
[10]	The Compilation Committee of Local Chronicles of Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Hubei: "Enshi Prefecture Chronicles". (1998) Hubei People's Publishing House. 85.
[11]	Tian Maochun. (2008) The Origin, Handing-down and Protection of the Folklore “Sister Huang”. Journal of Hubei University for Nationalities (philosophy and social science), No. 5, Vol 26, 55-56.
[12]	Wang Yanni. (2008) Cultural and folkloric connotations in folk song ‘Sister Huang”. Journal of Hubei University for Nationalities (Philosophy and Social Sciences), 5 (26), 59.
[13]	Wang Hongyin. (2014) Chinese Folk Songs and Their English Translation. Beijing: Commercial Press, 65-78, 82-84.
[14]	Wu Chao. (1989) Chinese Folk Songs. Hangzhou Education Press, 1.
[15]	Xiao Zhu. (2017) On the Features of Enshi’s Tobacco Culture. Three Gorges Forum, (06), 11-13.
[16]	Xu Yuanchong. (2007) 300 Tang Poems (Chinese-English). China Translation & Publishing Corporation, 15-27, 46-52.
[17]	Zhu Zhirong. (2021) Philosophy of Chinese Art. Chen Kaiju (trans). Routledge, 4-5.
[18]	Zou Tan. (2018). A Study on Tujia Folk Songs of Jianshi County, Enshi District of Hubei Province. [D]. Lanzhou University, 35-38.

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Yu Xueying, Xu Zhanghong. (2021). Love Anchored in Unique Ways --Translation and Interpretation of Tujia Minority Ballads “Fourth Sister Huang” and “A Seven-inch-long White Copper Pipe”. International Journal of Literature and Arts, 9(6), 312-319. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.19

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ACS Style

Yu Xueying; Xu Zhanghong. Love Anchored in Unique Ways --Translation and Interpretation of Tujia Minority Ballads “Fourth Sister Huang” and “A Seven-inch-long White Copper Pipe”. Int. J. Lit. Arts 2021, 9(6), 312-319. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.19

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AMA Style

Yu Xueying, Xu Zhanghong. Love Anchored in Unique Ways --Translation and Interpretation of Tujia Minority Ballads “Fourth Sister Huang” and “A Seven-inch-long White Copper Pipe”. Int J Lit Arts. 2021;9(6):312-319. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.19

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@article{10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.19,
  author = {Yu Xueying and Xu Zhanghong},
  title = {Love Anchored in Unique Ways --Translation and Interpretation of Tujia Minority Ballads “Fourth Sister Huang” and “A Seven-inch-long White Copper Pipe”},
  journal = {International Journal of Literature and Arts},
  volume = {9},
  number = {6},
  pages = {312-319},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.19},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.19},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijla.20210906.19},
  abstract = {Tujia Minority, a significant ethnic group in Enshi, Hubei province, P. R. China, has created numerous ballads with artistic and cultural connotations. This paper will concentrate on the outstanding representatives of Tujia minority ballads: Fourth Sister Huang --a love story between a noble girl and a mountain vendor, and A Seven-inch-long White Copper Pipe, which describes an ordinary life scene of a couple. After reviewing the research on the translation of China’s minority ballads, this paper translates the two ballads and interprets them from the perspectives of cultural study, exploring their temporal-geographical features, characters’ identities, cultural philosophical connotation, Enshi’s pipe and tobacco culture and affections between couples. “Fourth Sister Huang” reflects the material and spiritual situation in the embryonic stage of the commodity economy. With the provision of relatively abundant commodities, the young people at that time could pursue their true love tactfully as well as boldly. The couple in the “A Seven-inch-long White Copper Pipe” expressed their deep love by sharing the pipe, which shows the importance of tobacco and pipe in Tujia people’s daily life. Both ballads extol the beauty of love between man and woman and apply the technique of “transmitting emotions by objects”. The stories and characters portrayed in the ballads, as well as their acquaintanceship and expressions, typically represent local customs, historical evolution and traditional Confucian creeds.},
 year = {2021}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Love Anchored in Unique Ways --Translation and Interpretation of Tujia Minority Ballads “Fourth Sister Huang” and “A Seven-inch-long White Copper Pipe”
AU  - Yu Xueying
AU  - Xu Zhanghong
Y1  - 2021/11/23
PY  - 2021
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.19
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.19
T2  - International Journal of Literature and Arts
JF  - International Journal of Literature and Arts
JO  - International Journal of Literature and Arts
SP  - 312
EP  - 319
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2331-057X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.19
AB  - Tujia Minority, a significant ethnic group in Enshi, Hubei province, P. R. China, has created numerous ballads with artistic and cultural connotations. This paper will concentrate on the outstanding representatives of Tujia minority ballads: Fourth Sister Huang --a love story between a noble girl and a mountain vendor, and A Seven-inch-long White Copper Pipe, which describes an ordinary life scene of a couple. After reviewing the research on the translation of China’s minority ballads, this paper translates the two ballads and interprets them from the perspectives of cultural study, exploring their temporal-geographical features, characters’ identities, cultural philosophical connotation, Enshi’s pipe and tobacco culture and affections between couples. “Fourth Sister Huang” reflects the material and spiritual situation in the embryonic stage of the commodity economy. With the provision of relatively abundant commodities, the young people at that time could pursue their true love tactfully as well as boldly. The couple in the “A Seven-inch-long White Copper Pipe” expressed their deep love by sharing the pipe, which shows the importance of tobacco and pipe in Tujia people’s daily life. Both ballads extol the beauty of love between man and woman and apply the technique of “transmitting emotions by objects”. The stories and characters portrayed in the ballads, as well as their acquaintanceship and expressions, typically represent local customs, historical evolution and traditional Confucian creeds.
VL  - 9
IS  - 6
ER  -

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Author Information

Yu Xueying

School of English for International Business, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China
Xu Zhanghong

School of English for International Business, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou, China

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APA Style

Yu Xueying, Xu Zhanghong. (2021). Love Anchored in Unique Ways --Translation and Interpretation of Tujia Minority Ballads “Fourth Sister Huang” and “A Seven-inch-long White Copper Pipe”. International Journal of Literature and Arts, 9(6), 312-319. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.19

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ACS Style

Yu Xueying; Xu Zhanghong. Love Anchored in Unique Ways --Translation and Interpretation of Tujia Minority Ballads “Fourth Sister Huang” and “A Seven-inch-long White Copper Pipe”. Int. J. Lit. Arts 2021, 9(6), 312-319. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.19

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AMA Style

Yu Xueying, Xu Zhanghong. Love Anchored in Unique Ways --Translation and Interpretation of Tujia Minority Ballads “Fourth Sister Huang” and “A Seven-inch-long White Copper Pipe”. Int J Lit Arts. 2021;9(6):312-319. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.19

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@article{10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.19,
  author = {Yu Xueying and Xu Zhanghong},
  title = {Love Anchored in Unique Ways --Translation and Interpretation of Tujia Minority Ballads “Fourth Sister Huang” and “A Seven-inch-long White Copper Pipe”},
  journal = {International Journal of Literature and Arts},
  volume = {9},
  number = {6},
  pages = {312-319},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.19},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.19},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijla.20210906.19},
  abstract = {Tujia Minority, a significant ethnic group in Enshi, Hubei province, P. R. China, has created numerous ballads with artistic and cultural connotations. This paper will concentrate on the outstanding representatives of Tujia minority ballads: Fourth Sister Huang --a love story between a noble girl and a mountain vendor, and A Seven-inch-long White Copper Pipe, which describes an ordinary life scene of a couple. After reviewing the research on the translation of China’s minority ballads, this paper translates the two ballads and interprets them from the perspectives of cultural study, exploring their temporal-geographical features, characters’ identities, cultural philosophical connotation, Enshi’s pipe and tobacco culture and affections between couples. “Fourth Sister Huang” reflects the material and spiritual situation in the embryonic stage of the commodity economy. With the provision of relatively abundant commodities, the young people at that time could pursue their true love tactfully as well as boldly. The couple in the “A Seven-inch-long White Copper Pipe” expressed their deep love by sharing the pipe, which shows the importance of tobacco and pipe in Tujia people’s daily life. Both ballads extol the beauty of love between man and woman and apply the technique of “transmitting emotions by objects”. The stories and characters portrayed in the ballads, as well as their acquaintanceship and expressions, typically represent local customs, historical evolution and traditional Confucian creeds.},
 year = {2021}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Love Anchored in Unique Ways --Translation and Interpretation of Tujia Minority Ballads “Fourth Sister Huang” and “A Seven-inch-long White Copper Pipe”
AU  - Yu Xueying
AU  - Xu Zhanghong
Y1  - 2021/11/23
PY  - 2021
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.19
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.19
T2  - International Journal of Literature and Arts
JF  - International Journal of Literature and Arts
JO  - International Journal of Literature and Arts
SP  - 312
EP  - 319
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2331-057X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20210906.19
AB  - Tujia Minority, a significant ethnic group in Enshi, Hubei province, P. R. China, has created numerous ballads with artistic and cultural connotations. This paper will concentrate on the outstanding representatives of Tujia minority ballads: Fourth Sister Huang --a love story between a noble girl and a mountain vendor, and A Seven-inch-long White Copper Pipe, which describes an ordinary life scene of a couple. After reviewing the research on the translation of China’s minority ballads, this paper translates the two ballads and interprets them from the perspectives of cultural study, exploring their temporal-geographical features, characters’ identities, cultural philosophical connotation, Enshi’s pipe and tobacco culture and affections between couples. “Fourth Sister Huang” reflects the material and spiritual situation in the embryonic stage of the commodity economy. With the provision of relatively abundant commodities, the young people at that time could pursue their true love tactfully as well as boldly. The couple in the “A Seven-inch-long White Copper Pipe” expressed their deep love by sharing the pipe, which shows the importance of tobacco and pipe in Tujia people’s daily life. Both ballads extol the beauty of love between man and woman and apply the technique of “transmitting emotions by objects”. The stories and characters portrayed in the ballads, as well as their acquaintanceship and expressions, typically represent local customs, historical evolution and traditional Confucian creeds.
VL  - 9
IS  - 6
ER  -

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