Descriptive texts: Describing Photos

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In these texts, photographs which were taken at the shebajie cultural festival held in Pojiao rural township in the summer of 2001 are described. Some of the speakers had attended the actual festival.

4.1.1: Describing a Daliuzi Photo
4.1.2: Describing a Maogusi Photo
4.1.3: Describing a Baishouwu Photo

Tian Yuying, Xiang Peihua, Peng Cai'e & Tian Wucui, Pojiao Rural Township, Longshan County
recorded on 19 July 2002

In this text a photo of a daliuzi performance at the cultural festival is being described. Daliuzi involves four participants, who engage in mimed sequences to the rhythmic beats on gongs and cymbals. On some occasions, a suona trumpet is also played. The photo archive includes two photos of daliuzi.

01	A: ge⁴ze¹ eng¹ge¹, eng¹ge¹, ai¹di¹ liu¹zi¹, ai¹di¹ lai¹xi³ jie³ la? luo² ha³ ao, luo² ha³-nie³-xi², ge⁴ze¹, ge⁴ze¹ eng¹ge¹ si³ti³-suo¹ ba, ha¹ ha¹tai² ou? B: eng¹ge¹-suo¹, bao²ge³-suo¹. A: The ones over there, over there, that's 'daliuzi' [musical entertainment], what do you call that? They are striking gongs, the ones striking gongs. They are from Shidi, don't you know? B: Yes, they are from there, and from Baoge.
02	A: gai³di¹ ha¹ ha¹tai²? ni² liu¹... gai³di¹ luo² ha³-nie³-xi² qian²la¹ ha³ ba, ni² guo² ai¹ lian²-ta¹ti¹ ma o, lian²-ci¹hhe¹ ma. bao²ge³-suo¹ luo² ha³-nie³-xi², ang jiu¹ gai³di¹, gai³di¹ me ha³-xi² ca² ang. A: Do you know how to ['daliuzi']? You try striking the gong, try it, you can't do it, you don't know how to do it. The one from Baoge on the gong, that's this one here. He plays well.
03	ge²wai¹ ni² ai¹ li³-ci³ tai², ni² ai¹di¹ nian²-hhe¹ ga⁴ ze² nian², nian²-ci¹hhe¹, ge²wai¹ li³-ci³ tao², bie²di¹ mei³you¹ jian¹-di la, ta¹ jiu²si² da¹liu¹zi¹, mei³you¹ jian¹-di la! If you don't have anything more to say, and you know [the rhythm for 'daliuzi'], then beat us a few bars. I don't know how to, I have nothing else to say now, nothing more to say. That's 'daliuzi', there's nothing more to say!
04	luo² ha³-nie³-xi² dai¹dai¹... dang³dang³... dang³ dang³... hang² ha³-nie³-xi², ang... dai¹dai¹... dang³ dang³... The ones on the gongs go... (sound of gongs) like this ... (sound of gongs)

Tian Yuying, Xiang Peihua, Peng Cai'e & Tian Wucui, Pojiao Rural Township, Longshan County
recorded on 19 July 2002

In this text a photo of a maogusi performance at the cultural festival is being described. Maogusi is a very ancient dance form in which the dancers dress in costumes made from cogongrass and perform dances with farming, hunting and fertility themes. See the photo in the photo archive.

01	ai¹di¹ jiu¹ si¹ wan¹tian³ mao³gu³si¹ ri¹-nie³-xi², guo² jiu¹ si¹ be² eng¹ge¹ luo⁴-die¹, mu²la¹ ye³ ri¹-nie³-xi² da⁴ze³ ang. ai! ai¹ si³hou³, jiu¹ wan¹tian³ yan³si¹ se²hui¹ luo⁴ die³, luo⁴ die³ bian²-bo³-xi², luan²-nie³ si³hou³-lie¹ gao¹-nie³-xi². They are performers of the ancient 'maogusi' dance, that is, the people [in the photos] are performing actions similar to the way we work nowadays. Ah! In the past, people living in primitive communities used to do this, they started these dances during times of conflict.
02	ai¹lie¹ me ge⁴ze¹ jiu¹ be² eng¹ge¹ ye³ ga²-duo³ le, nie⁴ka¹-duo³, ge⁴ze³ jiu¹ ai¹lie¹ jiu¹ huan² kang³ku¹ ye³ ri¹ a, ai¹di¹ eng¹ge¹ ye⁴ za², ye³ ri¹, hhi³ tie², ai¹lie¹ eng¹ge¹ jiu¹, Then they have to go there and eat; in order to live, they have to go and work in the mountains. There they open up wasteland and farm; they harvest millet.
03	eng¹ge¹ ai¹lie¹ hhi³ tie² me, ta¹nie¹ jiu¹ eng¹ge¹, ai¹lie¹ tie²-lie³ me cu¹ ye⁴-liao³ jiu¹ hhi³ ha³, ha³-lie³ meng jiu¹ ba¹ba¹ bu², Later, they harvest millet there, then having harvested it, they go home and thresh it and make it into glutinous 'baba' cakes.
04	ba¹ba¹ bu²-lie³ meng jiu¹ da⁴pi³ mo³ ga² ang, ga²-liao³ meng ai¹lie¹ me ga² mo³ me³jie²-liao³ meng, jiu¹ si¹ luo⁴die¹ hang²la³, luo⁴die¹ eng¹ge¹, ai¹di¹ eng¹ge¹. When they've prepared the 'baba' cakes, they share them round and eat together. After they've eaten, then they're full. That's what they're doing [in the photos] in the 'maogusi' dance.
05	guo² be² ye¹ zuo⁴ si¹lie³-nie³-xi², guo² be² ye¹ eng¹ge¹ luo⁴ba¹-die¹ ma³ma¹-die¹ xie² ang. hhi²-lie³ jiu¹ ma³ma¹-die¹ ni¹ mo³ ni¹-lie³ jiu¹ zuo⁴ ni¹ mo³ si¹lie³-nie³-xi². They also look for brides, there are both men and women. They're looking for women as they go, when they've found some, those women will become their daughters-in-law.
06	ai¹lie¹ meng jiu¹, ta¹nie¹ meng jiu¹ da⁴ha³ ma³ma¹-die¹ a⁴yi³-nie³-xi² ang, jiu¹ hang²la³, gai³di¹ ta¹nie¹ li³-nie³-xi² die³ gei⁴di³ gei¹. After that, they are the ones who are grabbing the women [in the photos]. Well, that's what they do, there's a lot more to say [about 'maogusi'].

Tian Yuying, Xiang Peihua, Peng Cai'e & Tian Wucui, Pojiao Rural Township, Longshan County
recorded on 19 July 2002

In this text a photo of a baishouwu performance at the cultural festival is being described. Baishouwu, literally 'hand-waving dance', is the focal point of the traditional shebajie festival, which is held in early Spring. The dance, which has a large-scale form involving up to a thousand dancers, contains actions representing farming activities and other aspects of daily life, but in much more formalised forms than in maogusi. Some historians believe the dance to be directly descended from the war dances of the ancient Ba people, who are generally thought to be the ancestors of the Tujia. See the photo in the photo archive.

01	A: gai³di¹ ye³ ri¹-nie³-xi² mang. B: cai³mo¹ li³, nga² li³-ci¹hhe¹, hui²hui¹. A: ang ni² jiu¹ ye³ ri¹ mang, ye³ ri¹-nie³-xi². B: li²bu¹ ha³ ang. A: These ones are working [in the photos]. B: You speak, Huihui, I don't know what to say. A: These are farming actions, these are farming actions. B: Threshing grain.
02	A: ai¹me¹ bai¹sou¹wu¹ gai² nie⁴ ti³, xian¹ ye⁴ za², eng¹ge¹ ye⁴ za²-lie³ me jiu¹ si¹ ye⁴, ye⁴ za²-lie³ me jiu¹ hhi³, hhi³ ri¹ ang. ye³ ri¹-lie³ me, jiu¹ eng¹ge¹ li⁴ huo qie³, li⁴hong¹ ga⁴, bao¹bu¹ ri¹. A: Well, we've started doing the 'baishouwu' dance in recent years. In the past, they just got on with clearing the land, they broke up the soil, broke up waste ground, and grew millet. After this, they plough, dig the fields, and plant maize.
03	bao¹bu¹ ri¹-lie³ meng jiu¹, bao¹bu¹ ri¹-lie³ meng jiu¹ bao¹bu¹ pu² ang, bao¹bu¹ pu²-lie³ meng jiu¹ yan¹ se¹, yan¹ se¹-lie³ meng jiu¹, eng¹ge¹ yan¹ se¹-lie³ meng jiu¹, yan¹ si³ ang. When they've planted maize, planted maize, then they hoe between the maize. Once they've finished hoeing, then they plant tobacco. After planting tobacco, planting tobacco there, it grows.
04	ai¹lie¹ meng jiu¹ bao¹bu¹ wo⁴, li²bu¹ ha³, li²bu¹ ha³-lie³ meng jiu¹ jie³-xi² da⁴ha³, ai¹lie¹ jiu¹ eng¹ge¹ li²bu¹ ke⁴-lie³ jiu¹... B: bian¹dang³ huo³lie³ ke⁴. Later, they harvest the maize and thresh the grain. After threshing the grain, everybody together, they then carry the grain there, then ... B They're using shoulder poles.
05	A: li²bu¹ ke⁴-lie³ jiu¹ cu¹-bo³ song¹kuo¹-nie³-xi², gai² da⁴ze³ jiu¹... ca²! qie³-pie³, lei⁴ jiu¹ ang bian⁴dong³... jiu¹ na²me¹... A: After carrying the grain, they go home, like this ... Right! Plough first, then today... (sound of ploughing) then...