"Osmanthus Blossoms Bloom Everywhere in August" is adapted from the tune of the folk song "Ba Duan Jin" in the Dabie Mountains. It has been sung to this day and remains popular for a long time. There are many versions of its birthplace. Since the 1980s, the birthplace of "Osmanthus Blossoms Blooming Everywhere in August" has caused disputes in various places. Some say it is Jiangxi, Sichuan, Hubei, Anhui and Henan.

As for the ownership of this folk song, the "Song Collection for the 50th Anniversary of the Founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army" (Shanghai People's Publishing House, 1971 edition) is marked as "Jiangxi Folk Song, Huanzhi Song"; "Folk Song" "Introduction to Songs" (edited by Song Daneng, People's Music Publishing House, 1979 edition) also identified it as a Jiangxi folk song; "Chinese Folk Songs" (Volume 3, compiled by the Institute of Music, Institute of Literature and Art, Ministry of Culture, Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing House, 1982 edition) identified it as a Jiangxi folk song. It is an Anhui Jinzhai folk song; "Collection of Chinese Folk Songs·Hubei Volume" (People's Music Publishing House, 1988 edition) lists it as a Hubei folk song (Hong'an County, Northeast Hubei); and in "400 Traditional Chinese Folk Songs" (edited by Liu Zhengming) , Guangxi People's Publishing House, 1989 edition) and "Collection of Chinese Folk Songs Henan Volume" (China ISBN Center 1987 edition), the editor identified it as a folk song in Xin County, Henan; the "Chinese Music Dictionary" did not identify which province it belongs to It is only confirmed that it was "circulated in the Dabie Mountains of Anhui, Henan, Hubei and other provinces. It was formed when the Soviet government was established in some counties and districts during the Agrarian Revolution. It was composed and sung based on the lyrics of the folk song "Ba Duan Jin"." Cao Jinhua's article "Where is the Folk Song of "(Osmanthus Blossoms Bloom Everywhere in August)" believes: "It is not difficult to see that "Osmanthus Blossoms Bloom Everywhere in August" is indeed a Shangnan folk song. The lyricist is Luo Yinqing, and the melody is the tune of the local folk "Ba Duanjin" , the song was written in August or September 1929 when the osmanthus was in full bloom. It is a folk song in Shangnan, Henan..." In the music and dance epic "The East is Red" published in "Party Building Magazine", the annotation under the score of "Osmanthus Blossoms Bloom Everywhere in August" is "Revolutionary folk song, arranged by Huan Zhi", and believed that "this song was adapted from the lyrics of the local folk song "Ba Duan Jin" by the people in the revolutionary base areas of Hubei, Henan and Anhui in 1929." He Wenzhong believes in "A Shocking Song in the Dabie Mountains" that "in 1929, it was the season when the osmanthus flowers were in full bloom in the Dabie Mountains. To celebrate the establishment of the first county-level Soviet regime in Hubei, Henan and Anhui Province, the song "Osmanthus Blossoms Bloom Everywhere in August" The song was born and first sung in Chaishanbao, Xin County (now Chendian Township, Xin County)." Pan Chuanbai believes in the article "Characteristics of Revolutionary Folk Songs During the Agrarian Revolution in the Dabie Mountains" that ""Osmanthus Blossoms Bloom Everywhere in August" was adapted from the lyrics of the traditional folk song "Ba Duan Jin", which was established in Kafang, Xinxian County in August 1929. "It was born at the celebration meeting of the workers' and peasants' democratic government." So far, there are four versions of the ownership of this folk song: Jiangxi, Anhui, Henan, and Hubei.

Since it is adapted from folk songs from the Dabie Mountains, the Jiangxi theory and the Sichuan theory are excluded. In the old revolutionary base area of ??the Dabie Mountains alone, there are several versions such as the "Henan New County Theory", the "Henan Shangcheng Theory", the "Hubei Hong'an Theory" and the "Anhui Jinzhai Theory". It is difficult to say which narrow place this song belongs to. Historical records show that this song was first sung at the meeting to establish the Guangshan County Soviet Government in Chendian Township, Xin County, Henan Province.

This is a song to celebrate the founding of the Soviets. It is a song to sing about the Soviets that were established in August. The original name was "Celebrating the Establishment of the Workers' and Peasants' Democratic Government". In August 1929, the Guangshan County Soviet Government, the first county-level Soviet government established in the Hubei-Henan-Anhui Soviet Area, was proclaimed in Zhujia, Baoda, Chaishan (now part of Chendian Township, Xinxian County). More than 120 representatives participated in the conference. Chen Binghuang was elected chairman of the county workers' and peasants' democratic government. At the meeting, the celebrating people and the propaganda team organized by the government also sang many revolutionary songs. "Osmanthus Blossoms Bloom Everywhere in August" was sung at this celebration. In 1932, the Fourth Red Army marched westward and spread this song to the Sichuan-Shaanxi Soviet Area.

After the founding of New China, people in the music industry adapted "Osmanthus Blossoms Everywhere in August" into different versions of choruses, and also into instrumental music such as erhu and pipa. In 1959, composer Li Huanzhi and lyricist Huo Xiyang adapted this single-melody folk song into a rich folk song chorus. In 1964, Li Huanzhi adapted it again into a female chorus song and used it in the second scene of the large-scale music and dance epic "The East is Red" "A Catching Fire Starts a Prairie Fire". Turn red classic song. Later, this song was selected into music teaching materials for primary and secondary schools.

Open the "Revolutionary History of Southern Henan" (compiled by the Party History Material Collection Committee of the Xinyang Prefectural Committee of the Communist Party of China, edited by Dong Lei and Liu Xinmin), "Revolutionary History of Xinxian County" (Henan Province of the Communist Party of China) Provincial Party Committee Party History Materials Collection and Compilation Committee) and other party history and revolutionary history books clearly record that: In August 1929, the Guangshan County Soviet Government was established at Zhujia Baoda in Chaishan (now Chendian Township, Xin County) , this was the first county-level Soviet regime established in the Hubei-Henan-Anhui Soviet Area. The people of Chaishanbao sang and danced. The celebrating people and the propaganda team organized by the government sang many revolutionary songs together. "Osmanthus Blossoms Bloom Everywhere in August" was sung at this celebration.

How jubilant the people are and how passionate the author is! The melody is brisk and clear, and the lyrics are full of victorious heroism! Therefore, as soon as this song was sung, it was immediately accepted by the people and loved by the representatives sent from various revolutionary areas to observe. They recorded and copied it one after another and took it back to the places where they were engaged in revolution to inspire and unite the masses. , setting off a new revolutionary upsurge.

Exciting moments are always the most unforgettable. Earth-shattering events are like carving knives, carving every bit of them into the minds of the participants. So, decades have passed, and those who experienced it still remember the details at that time.

51 years have passed. Dai Jiying, a revolutionary veteran and one of the founders of the Hubei-Henan-Anhui Revolutionary Base Area, still clearly remembers: ""Osmanthus Blossoms Everywhere in August" was written by a local in Chaishanbao. Who is it? I don’t know, but it didn’t come from other places. At that time, because we had to copy and mimeograph the songs, several of us personally reviewed and revised them. ” (Based on the recording and compilation of materials by the Xinxian County History Collection Group in May 1980, which is now stored in the archives of the Xinxian Cultural Management Committee.) This upright revolutionary old man, who was a member of the Hubei-Henan Border Special Committee at the time, personally participated in He witnessed the establishment of the Chaishanpu base area and witnessed the establishment of the Soviet regime in Guangshan County. The scene was exciting, and the memory left in the old man's heart was also profound and unforgettable. I even remember the details of who participated in the revision so clearly. Seeing such records almost brought tears to our eyes.

Fifty-three years have passed. Senior Cheng Fangwu, a famous writer and revolutionary who was the Propaganda Minister of the Hubei, Henan and Anhui Provincial Committee, returned to Xinxian County in May 1982. He walked into the office where he was. With tears streaming down his face, he immediately wrote a poem: "I have been fighting here for three years, and I have no friends after the disaster."

"So many heroes have died, but the mountains and rivers still show their affection." Many past events came to his mind. heart. In the showroom of the Xinxian Revolutionary Memorial Hall, he saw a handwritten songbook from the Agrarian Revolution period displayed in the window. When he saw the song "Osmanthus Blossoms Bloom Everywhere in August", he immediately recalled the lyrics and said: "I remember it was written by a Lenin primary school teacher named Wang. I forgot his name. He was from Shangnan or Wanxi. I heard he was the son of a landlord and capitalist. He had progressive ideas and loved literature and art." (According to an interviewer at that time.) record materials).

Sixty-four years have passed. In May 1993, at the third Tea Festival in Xinyang, China, General Li Desheng, who had been away from his hometown for 46 years, returned to his hometown, Chendian Township, Xin County. He stood under the wooden city wall and recalled his experience in participating in the revolution. He said: "In 1929, I joined the Children's League. As the leader of the Children's League, I held a red and black wooden stick and stood guard. Especially when the local Soviet was established, many people came and it was very lively. Everyone knocked on two The big drum carried by people sang a self-composed revolutionary song. What impressed me most was the song "Osmanthus Blossoms Everywhere in August". Later, when I joined the Red Army and went on the Long March, we sang this song wherever we went. . This song is the best.” (The author personally participated in the reception work and listened to the general’s memories.) 72 years later, in July 2001, Yu Yingmao, a writer from Shangcheng City, When he came to Xinxian County, he interviewed Zhou Fengshan, a 92-year-old lost member of the Red Army. Yu Yingmao asked her if she could sing the song "Osmanthus Blossoms Bloom Everywhere in August". Do you still remember the time and scene when she sang it? Old man Zhou Fengshan said excitedly: Yes, yes! Can sing! Listen! The old man then clapped his hands and sang: In August, sweet-scented osmanthus blooms everywhere, and bright red flags stand up... After all, he was too old, so Zhou Fengshan sang very slowly, and in the end he almost sang every word. Yu Yingmao was afraid that the old man would be tired, so he persuaded her to stop singing. She seemed not to hear him and continued singing... an Internationale to celebrate the Soviet Union. Zhou Fengshan also recalled to the interviewer that she was a propagandist when the local Soviet regime was established in 1929. She said: At that time, I led everyone to sing, which shook the mountains! Everyone can sing, even children can sing... (The material can be found in "Zhengzhou Evening News" on July 13, 2001. The author also personally participated in the interview that year).

Time, time! People's memories all point to a time, the time when the sweet-scented osmanthus was in full bloom in August 1929 (lunar calendar), the time when the first county-level Soviet power in the Hubei-Henan-Anhui Soviet Area was established.

Osmanthus in August, this is not a comparison of ordinary poetry. Later, when the song was circulated, people also modified it according to the time when the Soviet was established.

Chen Shinong, a party history expert in Xinxian County, told the author that in March 1979, when he went to Kafang Commune to collect revolutionary historical materials, he interviewed an 84-year-old old party member Deng Yongyan. During the Agrarian Revolution, Deng Yongyan served as director of Guangshan County Soviet dispatch member of the Second Township of Xianxi District (now Kafang Township, Xin County). Deng Yongyan recalled that when the Soviet regime was established in the district and township, he sang "Osmanthus blossoms everywhere in August", but the first line of the lyrics was modified at that time to say that peach blossoms bloom everywhere in March. Deng Yongyan said: Because when our Xianxi District established the township and district political power, it was during the second and third months of the lunar calendar in the 19th year of the Republic of China (1930 AD), when osmanthus flowers bloomed everywhere in August. It was established in Xiannan District (i.e. Chaishanbao area) It was sung during the Soviet Union in the township, district and Guangshan County. Because they were built in the eighth or ninth lunar month of the first year (that is, 1929). Osmanthus flowers were in full bloom at that time, so we sang "Osmanthus flowers bloom everywhere in August" to celebrate the founding of the regime. The memories of old man Deng Yongyan are very specific and convincing.

Also, many people’s memories point to August 1929.

So, who wrote this song?

Dai Jiying said with certainty: It was produced in Chaishanbao area. Some old Red Army soldiers recalled that the lyricist of the song was an old private school teacher named Dai Juexian. Dai was from Tanshugang, Hong'an County, Hubei Province. Several of his children have joined the Communist Party. The eldest son Dai Zuoming was also the leader of the Jute Uprising. Dai Juexian was also deeply influenced by the revolution, so he wrote lyrics and composed the Gui Ge. .

Cheng Fangwu’s recollection was that he was a Lenin Primary School teacher named Wang, but he did not know his name. Shangcheng County, Henan Province said in a more positive tone that the author named Wang was Wang Jichu, a revolutionary martyr in the county who loved literature and art.

The author cannot agree with this statement. Why? Or time, time told me that Wang Jichu could not be the original author of the lyrics of this song.

As long as we cannot deny the memories of August 1929 by revolutionary elders such as Dai Jiying, and as long as we cannot deny the founding date of the Guangshan County Soviet in August 1929, then it is impossible for Wang Jichu to have composed this song. song.

Wang Jichu is a revolutionary martyr who loves literature and art. Wang Jichu collected, compiled and composed many revolutionary historical folk songs. Wang Jichu should also have collected the song "Osmanthus Blossoms Bloom Everywhere in August". Because of his hobbies and expertise, he should have contributed to the spread of this song, but I still want to say that it is impossible for him to create this song. Because at this time in August 1929, Wang Jichu had not yet participated in the revolution.

Let’s take a look at Wang Jichu’s resume. Wang Jichu, born in 1893 and died in 1932, was a young master in the main gate of the Wang family on West Street in Shangcheng County. His eldest uncle Wang Litang was a scholar in the late Qing Dynasty and served as the magistrate of Haicheng County in Liaoning Province in the Qing Dynasty. After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, Wang Litang was appreciated by Zhang Zuolin, who appointed him as the supervisor of bandit suppression in the four northeastern provinces. Wang Litang was proud of his official career, but he had one regret: he had no children, so he made his nephew Wang Jichu his stepson. Wang Litang also found a county magistrate position for Wang Jichu in the Northeast through connections and property. But Wang Jichu's mind was not on officialdom at all. He loved singing opera since he was a child, and even became obsessed with it. Just when Wang Litang found him the position of county magistrate and took office, he left without saying goodbye and went to Beijing to become a theater fan. Wang Litang went crazy and sent people to retrieve Wang Jichu from Beijing. No matter how much he was beaten and scolded, Wang Jichu would not change his original intention of singing and looked for an opportunity to escape from the Northeast and return to his hometown in the mall. After that, Wang Jichu also organized opera troupes to go out to sing operas, and also wrote an article "Art Theory". On December 25, 1929, the Red Army captured Shangcheng County. Wang Jichu walked out of the Wang family's main building and merged into the celebrating crowd. But the Red Army locked up this young man. Wang Jichu, who was in prison, wrote a song praising the Red Army and the mall: In the eighteenth spring of the Republic of China, the Red Army attacked the mall... At this time, the Red Army that captured the mall wanted to establish a Soviet regime, and the regime also needed cultural people, so they released Wang Jichu, mobilized Wang Jichu to participate in the revolution, and made him the leader of the Red Sun Theater Troupe. In October 1932, Wang Jichu entered Sichuan with the Fourth Red Army and soon gave his life for the revolution.

From the life of Wang Jichu, it is not difficult to see that when he started singing "Osmanthus Blossoms Everywhere in August" in the Chaishanbao area, Wang Jichu was not in Chaishanbao and had not yet participated in the revolution. Regardless of his experience, It is impossible to write such a passionate song praising the Soviet Union. We really want to remember the martyr Wang Jichu who sacrificed his life for the revolution, but truth is beauty! I think Wang Jichu, if he knew anything, would agree with this.

So the mall theory is untenable. Hong'an County also believes that it was adapted from the lyrics of "Ba Duan Jin" by Wang Jichu, a teacher at Qiliping Lenin Primary School from 1929 to 1930, which is also untenable.

Here. Most researchers have ignored an important fact, that is, "Osmanthus Blossoms Everywhere in August" belongs to the category of folk songs. An important feature of folk songs is the collective nature of creation, and their authors are often numerous singers. This is one of the basic characteristics that distinguishes folk songs from professional song creation. Therefore, it is worth reflecting on whether we need to spend too much energy to verify specific authors. It should be said that "Osmanthus Blossoms Bloom Everywhere in August" was gradually formed over a long period of singing, and the adaptors were the broad masses of the people. However, it is undeniable that people like Wang Jichu, Wu Jingyu, Chen Shihong, Luo Yinqing and others played an important role in the initial stage of the folk song.

Judging from the historical conditions of the Hubei, Henan, and Anhui Soviet Areas at that time, the Shangnan Uprising (also known as the Shangcheng Uprising, the Beginning of Summer Festival Uprising, or the Dingjiabu Uprising on May 6, 1929), the southern part of Shangcheng County in Henan Province was referred to as Shangcheng Uprising. South, author's note) broke out, and a revolutionary base was established with Shangnan Banzhuyuan as the center, located at the junction of Hubei, Jiangxi and Henan provinces. Fotangao belonged to Shangnan at that time, and now belongs to Guoziyuan Township, Jinzhai County, Anhui Province. In 1932, the main force of the Fourth Red Army withdrew from the Hubei-Henan-Anhui revolutionary base area, and the Kuomintang government immediately established economic support (the area at the junction of Guangshan and Luoshan in Henan and Hong'an and Macheng in Hubei, renamed Xinxian County in 1947, now part of Henan), Li Shan (the area at the junction of Luoshan in Henan and Hong'an, Xiaogan and Huangpi in Hubei, renamed Dawu County in 1952), Lihuang (the area at the junction of Shangcheng and Gushi in Henan and Huoshan, Lu'an and Huoqiu in Anhui), renamed Jinzhai in 1949 County, now part of Anhui) three counties.

A realistic situation is that the administrative divisions of this region change frequently, and some villages and towns belong to different provinces in different years. This was caused by the special historical conditions and environment at that time. At the same time, the existing relevant articles and works cannot provide the most convincing evidence to prove where this folk song was produced. They are mostly based on the memories of relevant people and the author's subjective speculation. Moreover, in the reminiscence records quoted in the existing article, the parties involved mostly spoke in terms of their own provinces, which obviously contained personal subjectivity and narrow localism. Therefore, the views of the article inevitably lost objectivity and fairness. Taking these factors together, it can be seen that using administrative divisions as the place where this folk song belongs has its own shortcomings that are prone to conflict and controversy. If we continue to entangle, it will be difficult to reach a conclusion after all.

The most important thing is that folk songs "are gradually formed in the process of singing and spreading." "August Osmanthus Blossoms Everywhere" is no exception, which can be confirmed by the different lyrics and melodies in its different versions. Therefore, the specific author and creative process of "Osmanthus Blossoms Bloom Everywhere in August" are unknown, and there is no need to dwell on it. From this, we can change the classification standard and use the region where folk songs circulate to define the dispute over where the song belongs (there are precedents for this kind of classification), and determine that it was adapted and composed based on the "Ba Duan Jin" in the Dabie Mountains, and was first circulated. It is located in the Dabie Mountains, so it should belong to the revolutionary folk songs of the Dabie Mountains area or the Hubei, Henan, and Anhui Soviet Areas. This not only conforms to historical facts, but also avoids the interference of narrow localist concepts and various disputes.