潮州湘桥好风流Xiangzi Bridge
SATB, 3’40”
The Xiangzi Bridge is one of four celebrated ancient bridges in Mainland China. First built around AD 1171 in the Song Dynasty, the bridge is not only culturally significant, but is also an engineering marvel. It is perhaps the oldest bascule (movable) bridge, designed to allow navigation of river traffic perpendicular to the bridge. Located in the heart of Chaozhou, the bridge served as a customs checkpoint for salt trade. Following upgrading works in the Ming Dynasty, the bridge attained a configuration of 18 boats, 24 piers, and 24 pavilions, each with distinct styles. In the Qing Dynasty, two iron ox statues were added to the décor of the bridge, but one was unfortunately washed away by a series of floods. The Xiangzi Bridge underwent a series of restoration works and was reopened in 2009.
Most people of Teochew descent would know of the bridge’s appearance by this folk tune, even if they have never visited Chaozhou. Teochew is a dialect that varies across the different districts in Chaozhou. The arranger traces his ancestry to the Swatow region, and hence the informal Teochew Swatow dialect is used. Romanisation provided uses the 1960 Guangdong Romanisation system, which is similar to hanyu pinyin.
This work is published by Muziksea.