Guangdong Tales

The big watermelon looks so great. Everyone wants to eat it!

Let’s share. Cut it open. It tastes wonderful!

Carelessly swallowing some round seeds. Ai ya ya!

Ask Mama what to do. The melon will grow from my head!

Mama laughs and says we can eat growing melons.

From spring to winter, melon anytime.

The big watermelon looks so great. Everyone wants to eat it!

Let’s share. Cut it open. It tastes wonderful!

Carelessly swallowing some round seeds. Ai ya ya!

Ask Mama what to do. The melon will grow from my head!

Mama laughs and says we can eat growing melons.

From spring to winter, melon anytime.

From spring to winter, melon anytime.

This folksong is performed by Huihua Fang, a 79 year old Grandmother from Kaiping with family ties to western Canada. Huihua is a native speaker of the Siyi language, known as Seiyap in Cantonese and 四邑方言 in Mandarin.

This folksong was one of the most popular when Huihua was growing up. It belongs to a genre of songs called “Muyu” (木鱼). Up to about forty years ago, most people in Kaiping knew how to sing several Muyu. However, this tradition is becoming less and less common, especially amongst younger generations. Huihua still owns a book of Muyu songs, and has been able to share them with her family.

Once upon a time, there were ten suns shining brightly in the sky. There was only day time, and no night.

Because there was so much sunlight, the crops were dying, the lakes dried up, and the people were suffering.

Along came a young man, Hou Yi, who was a powerful archer. He felt sympathy for his people, and felt he should do something to help. He climbed atop a mountain at the village’s edge, and raised his bow. He shot down 9 of the 10 suns. He said to the remaining, single sun: “From now on, you must rise and set every day, so my people can go back to normal life!” From then on, the people could get up to work when the sun rose, and go to bed when the sun set.

Hou Yi had a kind and beautiful wife, named was Chang’ O. They were such a cute couple, beloved by everyone in town. Hou Yi was respected and honoured as a hero. Many young men admired Hou Yi’s skills in archery, and flocked to him to learn shooting. One of these enthusiastic learners was a young man named Feng Meng.

One day, Hou Yi was on his way to visit a friend in the Kunlun Mountains. Suddenly, Hou Yi came upon the Heavenly Empress. She was so happy to see Hou Yi. She thanked him for saving the people’s lives, and gave him 3 immortality pills as a reward. She told him that anyone who took the pills would become immortal and fly to heaven.

Hou Yi couldn’t wait to tell his wife about his encounter in the Kunlun Mountain. But, his apprentice, Feng Meng was eavesdropping on the whole conversation about the immortality pills. A few days after, Hou Yi was leading his apprentices to go out for hunting. Feng Meng had a different plan. Right before they left, Feng Meng claimed that he was suffering from severe diarrhea and asked if he could use the bathroom at Hou Yi’s house. Hou Yi said: “Just be quick and catch up with us when you’re done!”

As soon as Hou Yi and the rest of his apprentices left, Feng Meng broke into the house, wielded his sword, and threatened Chang’O. He told her to give him the immortality pills or he would kill her. Chang’O was terrified, she didn’t know what to do! In the heat of the moment, Chang’O swallowed all three pills and said to herself, “Hou Yi, I am sorry, I love you.” As soon as she took the pills, Chang’O’s body started to feel lighter and lighter. She flew from her house toward the sky, and finally landed on the moon.

When Hou Yi returned home from hunting, the house was a mess. He searched everywhere, but couldn’t find his wife. It was the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. The moon was huge and orb-like. Hou Yi looked upward at the moon, and, surprisingly saw his wife Chang’O. He realized what had happened. Hou Yi missed Chang’O so much every day. Every year on the 15th of day of the 8th lunar month, he would put Chang’O’s favourite fruits and desserts on a table in the backyard in remembrance of their life together. Other villagers began to follow suit.

Over time, the repetition of these offerings to Chang’O became the holiday celebrated across many East Asian communities. It is known as the Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋節). We gather with our friends and family, eat mooncakes, make lanterns, and give thanks for the natural world that gives us our harvests.