On the Origin of Taigu Yangge

From the orthodoxy of Ming Dynasty to Chongzhen period, ditty (also known as seasonal songs or folk songs) was widely circulated. At that time, in Jinzhong area, ditties sung by local folk artists were popular. Taigu County Cultural Center has collected and transcribed many ancient ditties, such as: Weaving Roots (Kua Pao), Love between Soldiers and Land, A Piece of Copper, Bedwetting, Gaolaozhuang, Second Sister Worship the Media, Celebrating Yesterday with the Horse, and more than 20 lyrics. Most of them reflect the stories of local folk life at that time, from which we can see clues. According to the regulations of Ming Yingzong imperial court that it is forbidden to sing the song "My wife goes to her husband's grave", it is said that during the orthodox period, the song "My wife goes to her husband's grave" suddenly spread all over Beijing. Miscellaneous Words of Ancient Songs said: During the reign of Jiajing and Qin Long, songs such as Naxing, Crying for Heaven and Fenhe were not only the same as Taigu Yangko ditty, but also similar in form.

In the Wanli Edition of the Ming Dynasty, there is a quiz song about private affairs, which is very similar to the theme and genre of Taigu Yangko ditty "Nianwennv" and "Picking Water". It can be seen that ditty was popular in Ming Dynasty, and ditty in Jinzhong Plain was also widely popular.

Whenever the Lantern Festival is booming, all localities engage in activities such as dragon lanterns, dry boats, back sticks, iron bars, digging sticks, stilts, yangko, playing with lions, chasing donkeys, wrestling with ghosts and drumming. And dance teams of all sizes are extremely common. Among them, performers sing a ditty between dances, exaggerating the atmosphere, singing and dancing, and combining song and dance. This form is the origin of Taigu Yangko.