Ceremonies and Music at Peasant Funerals  

                                                                            ——A Case Study of Zhao Village in China  

  Abstract: China has a long history in the culture of funeral ceremony. “Archaeologists believe that in the time of Upper Caveman which dates back to 18,900 years ago, there have existed ceremonies for burial” (Zhong Jingwen 2004). The ceremonies and music at funerals of the Han and Wei Dynasty (206 B. C. - 265 A. D.) are recorded in The Book of Chin Dynasty— Chapter of Rites, which goes like this: “A story of Han and Wei Dynasty: When a departed emperor is about to be buried, guard of honor will follow the emperor’s coffin playing the drum and wind music all the way to royal cemetery.” Today, in most rural areas of China, the ceremonies and music of funeral still pervade. Through the on-the-spot investigation and analysis of nearly 20 funerals performed in this village during the last decade, the thesis demonstrates a case study on Zhao Village in the north of Jiangsu Province to have a limited view of the ceremony and music of Chinese peasants’ funerals.  

  Keywords: Chinese peasants; funeral; ceremony; music

  Yanhui Zhao: School of Music, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China, E-mail: zhaoyanhui1818@163.com

  *Corresponding author, Fei Yao: School of Foreign Languages and Cultures, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China, E-mail: tracyyaofei@126.com