Mudong Mountain Songs took shape in the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1911) in Mudong Town, Banan district and can be traced back to ancient Bayu song and dance (Bayu dance is one of the most famous representative of Sichuan folk art). The monograph Mudong Mountain Songs contains over 300,000 characters recording the music and was published in 2005. Mudong Mountain Songs is known as outstanding Bayu folk art, which was recored in the following historical records.
According to “Huayang State Record:Ba Record”, in 1122BC, the emperor Zhouwuwang defeated Shangzhouwang and captured Bayu area. The Bayu soldiers were brave and versatile, who sang and danced to celebrate the success of Zhou Dynasty. That’s the original form of Mudong mountain songs.
In Chun and Chiu period (722BC-481BC), Bayu’s dances and songs were popular in Hubei and Hunan Province. In literal record-“Songyu asked Chuyu”: thousands of local people could sing Bayu songs, such as “Xiali” and”Baren”.
In Han Dynasty(206BC-25AD), Bayu dances and songs were recommended to the emperor Liubang’s palace. Since then, it was authoritically named “Bayu Dances and Songs”. It was said that local Bayu people danced hands in hands while singing.
In Tang Dynasty (618AD-907AD), Bayu people liked to sing “Zhuzhi Songs”. Many Tang poets, such as Gukuang, Liu Yu-xi, Bai Ju-yi, Yuhao and Cui Tu-guo recorded this folk art in their poems, like “Bayu people liked to sing songs in evening”; “Bayu people were fond of singing”,” Bayu people prefered to sing together” and etc. This “Zhuzhi Songs” were lasted to Qing Dynasty.
In Qing Dynasty (1619AD-1911AD), the military prime minister-Wang Shi-zhen ever wrote Bayu songs in his poem “Resting at Mudong”. In 1730s, there was “in summer harvest time, farmers were planting while singing.” on “Bayu County Record”.
To sum up, Mudong Mountain Songs have a long history, from Zhou Dynasty “Tushan Mountain Songs” and “Bayu army’s songs”, Chun and Chiu period “Bayu dances and songs”, Han Dynasty, Tang Dynasty “Zhuzhi Songs”, to Qing Dynasty ”farmers’s songs”. Besides historical factors, the local geography, production features, folk customs and cultural features are important to the formation of Mudong Mountain Songs.