Yulin ditty is a folk art form in which the actors sit to perform with instrumental accompaniments. It is popular in the downtown area of Yulin City in northwestern Shaanxi Province of China. Story has it that it was brought in by geishas supported by military officials stationed in the Yulin area from Jiangnan (the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River) during the Ming Dynasty, and in its long-term evolvement, absorbed elements of local folk songs and ditties, got enriched and improved, and became what it is now.
Yulin ditty has only been performed in urban areas ever since its formation. As it is played for self entertainment, the performance requires no fixed occasions. The artists always accompany each other to participate in performances at their leisure. Most elderly citizens can sing a little to amuse themselves. There are no professional troupes, nor professional artists that perform Yulin ditty for living. In the long term, Yulin ditty has been closely connected with local customs. At four seasons and eight solar terms, weddings and funerals, birthdays, and festivals, local people always invite Ditty artists to perform at their homes. The artists put on prepared plays, or at the host's request. No matter on what kind of occasions, the host will award excellent artists by draping a band of red silk across their shoulders. This custom had been passed down until about AD 1949.
Yulin ditty is a folk art form originated and popular in the Yulin area of northern Shaanxi Province. In the performance, one or two actors sing while the others play the cymbalo, koto, lute, sanxian, jinghu and diezi to accompany their singing. Yulin ditty has varied tunes which follow the qupai style. Sometimes a tune is repeated, while other times several tunes are sung one after another. The plays are mostly about love between man and woman, and are especially good at expressing the bitterness of a parting. Yulin ditty has two distinctive schools. One stresses pure, agreeable, melodious and smooth sound, and is relatively strict with the application of grace notes, especially portamenti and pause tones. The other school highlights pause, toughness and tenderness, and emphasizes singing the belly of a character a lot. Traditional plays of Yulin ditty are varied in length. Representative ones include Sunset in the Dusk, the Lawsuit of the Prostitute, Flying Kites, the Butterfly Lovers, Zhang Sheng Frolicking with Yingying, etc.
The lyrics of Yulin ditty are elegant and popular, including both words of literati and native idioms. This phenomenon is rare in other folk art forms. The music for Yulin ditty comprises two parts, vocal part and orchestral part, but the former is the core. In the vocal part, except the two qu tunes Qian Liangtoumang and Hou Liangtoumang, which are used respectively at the beginning and end of some plays, there are no qu tunes for other plays. A number of tunes, no matter a single one or a cluster, are specific.