“What a beautiful jasmine flower, fragrant and lovely, blooming all over the branches...” The campus of Dalian Polytechnic University is imbued with the fragrance of flowers and the chirping of cicadas. Likibi Joss Klausner from the Republic of the Congo and Guadda Meriem from Morocco are singing the traditional Chinese folk song “Jasmine Flower (Mo Li Hua)” with clear enunciation and proper intonation. The lilting melody not only evokes the essence of the East but also conveys a cultural resonance that transcends mountains and seas.
Folk songs are the crystallization of the collective wisdom of the Chinese working people in the vibrant practices of production and daily life. Taking root in the fertile soil, they are passed down orally from generation to generation through heart-to-heart teaching, integrated into the traditional musical forms of various ethnic groups, and stand as a treasure of national culture that carries people’s emotions and memories.
The widely sung “Jasmine Flower” can be regarded as a model of “being deeply rooted in the national soil while embracing the vast world”. Originating in the Ming and Qing dynasties, its charm has long transcended national borders. In 1804, John Barrow from Britain first recorded the lyrics and melody of “Jasmine Flower” in his work “Travels in China”, making it one of the earliest Chinese folk songs known to the Western world. In 1926, the renowned Italian opera “Turandot” adopted some melodies from “Jasmine Flower” as the core musical symbol representing China, bringing it fame overseas.
This song, imbued with profound cultural connotations, has been widely disseminated across China, blossoming with distinct regional characteristics. The Jiangsu version is gentle and delicate, flowing smoothly like the ripples of the southern rivers; the Hebei version features a brisk rhythm, exuding the rustic enthusiasm of the North; while the Liaoning version, deeply rooted in Liaoning, is characterized by its high-pitched clarity and lingering resonance, embodying the bold spirit of the black soil region. “Singing folk songs demands clear enunciation, smooth breath control, and expressive dynamic gradation, with particular emphasis on the initial syllable of each phrase being resonant and powerful, supported by a full breath,” said instructor Dong Caixia. She carefully corrected the two students’ pronunciation, breath, and pitch phrase by phrase, while demonstrating the elegant “orchid finger” gesture, guiding them to immerse themselves in the song’s artistic conception. “Jasmine Flower symbolizes purity, nobility, and beauty in Chinese culture. When singing, you can imagine scenes of small bridges over flowing water, with jasmine blossoms exuding fragrance, and strive to convey the artistic quality that is gentle yet firm.”
For Likibi, the melody of “Jasmine Flower” was immediately enchanting upon first hearing, and upon deeper understanding, he marveled at its unique charm. “This song employs the traditional Chinese pentatonic scale, and its charm is distinctly different from the music of my homeland in Africa. The melody seems simple, yet it is repeatedly chanted with its ebbs and flows, containing a long and profound artistic conception,” Likibi said. “What truly moves me about Chinese folk songs is that singing them evokes my longing for my homeland. Although I come from distant Africa, the profound capture of life’s details in Chinese folk songs and the folk stories conveyed through shared emotions always remind me of the landscapes of my hometown and the smiles of my loved ones, making me feel deeply warm.”
On the 2022 Lantern Festival, “Jasmine Flower”, adapted for the guzheng (plucked zither), was played by Chinese astronaut Wang Yaping aboard China’s space station. The widely spread “Jasmine Flower” not only embodies the historical memory and aesthetic sensibility of Chinese civilization but also serves as a bridge connecting diverse cultures and fostering friendship among peoples. It tells the world the story of an open and inclusive China and confirms the eternal truth of shared human emotions and mutual learning among civilizations.
