Song lore of the Jing (Kinh) people in China: preservation and transformation of the Vietnamese tradition

Abstract

The article is devoted to the songs of the Jing people. The research is based on the textual recordings of the songs. The Jing people, one of the 55 officially recognized ethnic minorities of the PRC, are ethnic Vietnamese who have lived in China in the territories bordering Vietnam since the beginning of the 16th century. Folk song singing is one of the important ethnic markers of Jing culture. These songs have much in common with the folk songs of the Viet people living in Vietnam, both in form and content. The article examines what features are typical for the Jing songs, what images and themes are common in these songs, how Jing people preserve the Vietnamese tradition, but at the same time construct their own.