One String, One Heart: Filial Piety in the Wa Ancient Song of Refusing Marriage

Nestled in Yong'e Village, Masai Hamlet, Mengka Town, Ximeng County of Yunnan—a revered original birthplace of Wa culture—ancient folk customs and tribal traditions have been perfectly preserved for generations. Led by the provincial intangible cultural heritage inheritor, the soulful Wa one-string fiddle plays the time-honored ancient ballad Song of Refusing Marriage.
The ballad tells a touching traditional story: parents persuade their daughter to marry and settle down early, yet the daughter gently and firmly declines. She chooses to stay home to care for her aging parents, take on farm work and family duties out of filial love. She makes a heartfelt vow that she will wait until the younger generation grows up before thinking of her own marriage.
One simple string, one timeless ballad, truly reflects the Wa people’s traditional views on marriage and family, and embodies the noble virtues of respecting the elderly, repaying kindness, and taking family responsibility. The soft, lingering melody narrates the kindness, forbearance and filial piety of Wa women, letting the world feel the pure human warmth and ancient family ethics of China’s ethnic minorities in the southwest frontier.

Видео One String, One Heart: Filial Piety in the Wa Ancient Song of Refusing Marriage канала FU唱FU随