Cambria Sinophone World Series (general editor: Victor Mair)–NEW! Chinese Ethnic Minority Oral Traditions: A Recovered Text of Bai Folk Songs in a Sinoxenic Script

In 1958 while conducting fieldwork in Yunnan, a professor came across a ricepaper booklet with strange script created from Chinese characters. This turned out to be a folksong booklet in Old Bai script. She safeguarded it carefully through the tumultuous Mao years until the 1990s, when the political environment had relaxed enough for her to conduct full-scale ethnographic research. Very few such texts remain, and what makes this booklet even more valuable is that it records songs that have already disappeared, including some with sexually explicit content.

In this unprecedented book on the oral traditions of the ethnic minority of China representing decades of painstaking research, the Old Bai script has not only been transcribed and translated in both English and Chinese but each page from the original booklet has also been reproduced.

This book is an essential addition to all collections in Asian studies, linguistics, folklore, and musicology.

Order by April 30 and take 35% off the hardcover list price–use coupon code CAMBRIA188 at www.cambriapress.com).

Visit the Cambria Press website. Download the Cambria Press catalog.

LIKE Cambria Press on Facebook and follow Cambria Press on Twitter to stay updated on exciting news.

#BaiPeople #ChineseEthnicMinority #Sinoxenic