The singing heritage : the singing heritage : folk songs of Lung Yeuk Tau, a disappearing intangible cultural heritage

Abstract

 Are folk songs in Lung Yeuk Tau disappearing? Before urbanization, no matter where you were in the New Territories, it was difficult not to notice the beautiful scenery of vast paddy fields with clusters of houses, embellished with the sounds of singing by hardworking farm laborers. Listening, maybe you could hear the laborers narrating their own stories and expressing their feelings through song lyrics, sometimes singing as a conversation between two parties. Set within the cultural context of a community and associated closely with local customs, the potential value of folk songs as intangible cultural heritage has been shown to be worthy of study.

Why are folk songs in Lung Yeuk Tau the focus of this thesis? Local traditional folk songs have caught the attention of individuals from the academic sector. Previous research has widely investigated folk songs in Hong Kong specifically from Sai Kung and Tai Po. However, there is only limited research and documentation of this intangible cultural heritage from Lung Yeuk Tau, Fanling. In fact, Lung Yeuk Tau’s folk songs may share some similarities with those in other parts of Hong Kong, and therefore, the study of them is integral to a holistic and comprehensive understanding of folk songs of Hong Kong.

Lung Yeuk Tau, as a settlement of early inhabitants in the New Territories, singing folk songs was once indispensable to the local people. However, most publications about the region primarily focus on historical, geographical and demographical subjects with only limited descriptive information about intangible cultural heritage rituals and rites. The research gap on knowledge and analysis of folk songs in Lung Yeuk Tau has helped to determine the scope of this thesis.