Wishes, Happiness and Harmony

Tujia is one of the most essential ethnic minorities in China, where the ethnic ballads or folk songs are popular and renowned as the results of human civilization and wisdom, presenting a true portrayal of regional charms and national characters. This essay concentrates on two Tujia folk songs in Enshi, Hubei province, namely “Ten Sisters Stay with the Bride” and “Ha Ge Za”, by analyzing how the Tujia people reflect their living environments and good vistas and ideals in ethnic ballads and interpreting the cultural connotations behind lyrics. Furthermore, it also examines the translation strategies adopted in decoding the minority ballads under the indigenous Chinese translation theory of “Three Beauties Principle”, and from cultural and historical perspectives, especially the Ten-Sister culture in Tujia’s wedding customs, landscape and historical development. This essay will conclude that the Tujia people are cognitively and physically oriented toward the harmony between humans and nature, in which case, they usually combine life wishes and natural scenery in lyrics, showing their optimism, respect for nature and expectation for future. As it believes, the Tujia ethnic ballads and the translations are conductive to the better and further understanding and dissemination of the Tujia culture

Aesthetics · Art · Ballad · Civilization · Ethnic group · Happiness · Literature · Lyrics · Poetry · Sociology · Visual arts · Anthropology · China's Ethnic Minorities and Relations · Chinese history and philosophy · Gender Studies · History · Philippine History and Culture · Psychology · Social Psychology