I've written before on this blog about how China's minorities are occasionally portrayed as essentialized caricatures. Often this means minority musical ensembles dressed in colorful, traditional costume, singing pop versions of folk songs from their traditional culture about drinking, love, nature or, occasionally, all three. Usually this also means that the vocal perfomers or dancers tend to be women, and that the performance often skews toward a somewhat (if not very) sensual vibe. This is often the case with the performances of minority groups from Southwestern Yunnan province. Take this video of a Dai minority folk song called "Bamboo Under the Moonlight," for example:
Dru C. Gladney has pointed out that the sensual dancing minority girl meme works less well for China's Islamic minorities whose women's costumes emphasize modesty. But then, there's the song below from the singer Ha Hui, called (imaginatively), "Hui Girl."
It's a pretty strange little bit of pop culture. There's the whole Bollywood-inspired dance routine and musical tone. There's the "One Thousand and One Arabian Nights" as a bad prom theme kind of feel to the choreography and scenery in the video. There's the fact that the spoken language that comes in before the start of the song sounds like its Uyghur or some other Turkic language instead of Arabic or Chinese (languages assoicated with the Hui). There are all the backup dancers wearing hijabs and holding cups of tea. It's like the video basically became a pastiche of Arabesque or Islamic visual and musical themes, with a bunch of lyrics (which you'll find below) about nothing in particular.
In any case, here are the lyrics:
回族姑娘－哈辉
你从她的脸上看得见
看得见一片温暖的海洋
你从她的目光找得到
找得到一个梦想的天堂
哎哎呀，哎哎呀，哎哎呀呀
找得到一个梦想的天堂
善良的动人的回族姑娘
一生的馨香只洒在一个人的心上
善良的动人的回族姑娘
她是天地间最美的金凤凰
你在她的身旁会知道
会知道恋曲应该怎样唱
你在她的心上能感觉
能感觉生命永远的吉祥
哎哎呀，哎哎呀，哎哎呀呀
能感觉生命永远的吉祥
善良的动人的回族姑娘
一生的漂亮梦在了多少人的梦乡
善良的动人的回族姑娘
她是夜幕里最美的弯月亮
Hui Girl- Ha Hui
When you look on her face
You’ll see an ocean of kindness
When you look into her eyes
You’ll find a dreamlike paradise.
Ai ai ya! Ai ai ya! Ai ai ya ya!
You’ll find a dreamlike paradise.
Kind, compassionate, beautiful, Hui girl
Just like a sweet fragrance sprinkled on a man’s heart
Kind, compassionate, beautiful, Hui girl
She is the most beautiful golden phoenix on heaven or earth.
When you’re by her side,
You’ll know how love songs are sung.
When you’re in her heart,
You’ll feel like life is always lucky
Ai ai ya! Ai ai ya! Ai ai ya ya!
You’ll feel like life is always lucky
Kind, compassionate, beautiful, Hui girl
Just like a like a beautiful dream in so many people’s slumbers
Kind, compassionate, beautiful, Hui girl
She is the most beautiful crescent moon in the night sky.