Nanniwan

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Nanniwan
Soldiers working in Nanniwan in 1943
Simplified Chinese南泥湾
Traditional Chinese
Literal meaningsouth muddy bay

"Nanniwan" is a revolutionary song written in 1943 with lyrics by communist playwright and poet He Jingzhi and music by Ma Ke.[1] It was made popular by the Chinese Communist Party and continues to be one of the most recognisable songs in the People's Republic of China.

Nanniwan is a gorge about 90 km southeast of Yan'an, Shaanxi province. In response to economic blockades by the Imperial Japanese Army and Kuomintang in 1941, the Communists set up crops production committee with Ren Bishi as its head and began experimenting with small scale agricultural development as well as poppy production in a bid to become self-sufficient. The 359th brigade of the Eighth Route Army was deployed to Nanniwan to improve productivity. In 1943 Nanniwan was heralded a success, and a propagandist song was commissioned. The lyrics, written by He Jingzhi, were set to a traditional folk melody of northern Shaanxi.

The song rose during the last years of the Second Sino-Japanese War and continued to be popular after the Communist victory in 1949. It is the signature song of the important revolutionary singer Wang Kun, and Cui Jian, widely regarded as the "father of Chinese rock," created a rock version of the song in 1987.[2] It experienced a revival during the mid-1990s along with other revolutionary songs, with the release of many re-adaptations in Guoyue compilations. In the late 20th century Nan Ni Wan was also remade into a Chinese popular Lunar New Year song entitled "Cai Yuan Gun Gun" (财源滚滚), sung by Cindy Wong (黄美诗) and Zheng Yi (郑仪) – Malaysian Chinese singers.

Cui Jian performance controversy[edit]

Cui Jian was invited to perform for an annual official TV gala in 1987 where he sang a version of the song that was distinctly different. His version removed the final stanza that hails the achievements of the 359th Brigade, changing the tone of the song to sound more like a lament. The commander of the 359th Brigade, Wang Zhen, took offense and the performance cost Cui his job – he was banned from performing and forced to perform underground.[2][3] Undeterred, Cui continued to perform Nanniwan at nearly every major performance of his following the ban.

Lyrics[edit]

Simplified chinese Traditional chinese Pinyin Translation

花篮的花儿香
听我来唱一唱
唱一唱
来到了南泥湾
南泥湾好地方
好地呀方
好地方来好风光
好地方来好风光
到处是庄稼
遍地是牛羊

往年的南泥湾
处处是荒山
没呀人烟
如今的南泥湾
与往年不一般
不呀一般
如呀今的南泥湾
与呀往年不一般
再不是旧模样
是陕北的好江南

陕北的好江南
鲜花开满山
开呀满山
学习那南泥湾
处处是江南
是呀江南
又站岗来又生产
三五九旅是模范
咱们走向前
鲜花送模范

花籃的花兒香
聽我來唱一唱
唱一呀唱
來到了南泥灣
南泥灣好地方
好地呀方
好地方來好風光
好地方來好風光
到處是莊稼
遍地是牛羊
往年的南泥灣
處處是荒山
沒呀人煙
如今的南泥灣
與往年不一般
不一呀般
如呀今的南泥灣
與呀往年不一般
再不是舊模樣
是陝北的好江南

陝北的好江南
鮮花開滿山
開呀滿山
學習那南泥灣
處處是江南
是呀江南
又學習來又生產
三五九旅是模範
咱們走向前
鮮花送模範

Huālán de huā er xiāng
Tīng wǒ lái chàng yī chàng
Chàng yī ya chàng
Lái dàole nán ní wān
Nán ní wān hǎo dìfāng
Hǎo de ya fāng
Hǎo dìfāng lái hǎo fēngguāng
Hǎo dìfāng lái hǎo fēngguāng
Dàochù shì zhuāngjia
Biàndì shì niú yáng


Wǎngnián de nán ní wān
Chùchù shì huāngshān
Méi ya rén yān
Rújīn de nán ní wān
Yǔ wǎngnián bù yībān
Bù yī ya bān
Rú ya jīn de nán ní wān
Yǔ ya wǎngnián bù yībān
Zài bu shì jiù múyàng
Shì shǎnběi de hǎo jiāngnán

Shǎnběi de hǎo jiāngnán
Xiānhuā kāi mǎn shān
Kāi ya mǎn shān
Xuéxí nà nán ní wān
Chùchù shì jiāngnán
Shì ya jiāngnán
Yòu xuéxí lái yòu shēngchǎn
Sānwǔjiǔ lǚ shì mófàn
Zánmen zǒuxiàng qián
Xiānhuā sòng mófàn

Flowers in a basket are fragrant
Listen to me sing a little
Sing for a little
Come to Nanniwan
Nanniwan is a nice place
Nice place
Nice place and beautiful scenery
Nice place and beautiful scenery
Crops everywhere
Cattle and sheep all around

Nanniwan in years gone by
Was a barren mountain
With no people around
Nanniwan today
Is different from the past
Nanniwan today
Is different from the past
And no longer looks like it did
It is the Jiangnan* of Northern Shaanxi

The Jiangnan of Northern Shaanxi
Mountains full of flowers
Mountains blossoming
Know that in Nanniwan
Everywhere is like Jiangnan
Yes, like Jiangnan
Learning again how to cultivate
The 359th Brigade sets the example
Let us go forward
Let the example blossom

* This lyric, referring to Nanniwan as "Jiangnan", implies it is as prosperous as the extremely fertile area immediately south of the Yangtze.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Baranovitch, Nimrod (2003-08-01). China's New Voices: Popular Music, Ethnicity, Gender, and Politics, 1978–1997. University of California Press. pp. 22–23. ISBN 978-0-520-93653-9.
  2. ^ a b Gong, Qian (2021-03-22). Remaking Red Classics in Post-Mao China: TV Drama as Popular Media. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 24–25. ISBN 978-1-78660-926-7.
  3. ^ Zhang, Xudong; Dirlik, Arif (2000-10-27). Postmodernism and China. Duke University Press. p. 241. ISBN 978-0-8223-8022-1.