Cantonese Love Songs: An English translation of Jiu Ji-yung's Cantonese songs of the early 19th century

Introduction

Introduction Introduction Romanization of Chinese names, places, dynasties In these introductory pages and throughout the translation and notes appended, I have romanized the Chinese ideographs in their Cantonese pronunciation, to allow non-Cantonese speakers to pronounce them in the Cantonese way. Of the many available Cantonese-romanization systems I chose the one used by Sidney Lau in his A Practical CantoneseEnglish Dictionary as being the one that makes it somewhat easier to pronounce Cantonese words, because they are pronounced more or less as they are spelt. Needless to say, any romanization can only approximate to (and at times but distantly) the accepted Cantonese pronunciation. Canton and the Cantonese language Canton ($'1'['[, Gwong Jau) is the capital of the Gwong Dung (JJHf!) province which is the southernmost of the 21 provinces of the People's Republic of China covering an area of 211 500 square kilometers (81 000 square miles), and is the largest city of South China. Since the 3rd century AD, the Chinese name of the city has been Gwong Jau. However, to Westerners the city is commonly known as Canton, a name that derives from that of the Gwong Dung province whose anglicized form gives Canton. Archaeology has revealed that the site of the city during the Chun ( ~ , Ch'in, 221-206 BC) and the Hon ( ~l, Han, 206 BC-AD 220) dynasties was slightly to the north of the present one. Today, Canton is situated just upstream of the head of the Pearl River Estuary, more than 90 miles (145 km) inland, west of the South China Sea. Canton, because of its geographical position, was the first port to be regularly visited by European traders and since the 3rd century AD has been the gateway for foreign influence. During the Southern Sung (l¥i*, 1127-1279) dynasty Chinese seamen and traders sailed to Southeast Asia, thus opening the way for Chinese emigration in subsequent ages. In the late 13th century and throughout the 14th century, many Chinese families from North China moved into the Gwong Dung region in the wake of the Mongol conquest. A booming economy ensued as the Yuen (51;, Yuan, 1206-1368) dynasty rulers encouraged maritime trade. The population of the Gwong Dung province, according to the China Population Statistics Yearbook 1989 (4'~ AD~JEgt:tf.~I;;: ,Chung-Kwok Yan-Hau Tung-Kai Nin-Kaam), was 59 283 134 in 1989, or about 5.5% of China's total population of 1 086540493 (men: 559838516; women: 526701 977). Not only noted as a historical centre of learning, Canton was also Romanization of Chinese names, places, dynasties In these introductory pages and throughout the translation and notes appended, I have romanized the Chinese ideographs in their Cantonese pronunciation, to allow non-Cantonese speakers to pronounce them in the Cantonese way. Of the many available Cantonese-romanization systems I chose the one used by Sidney Lau in his A Practical CantoneseEnglish Dictionary as being the one that makes it somewhat easier to pronounce Cantonese words, because they are pronounced more or less as they are spelt. Needless to say, any romanization can only approximate to (and at times but distantly) the accepted Cantonese pronunciation. Canton and the Cantonese language Canton ($'1'1'1, Gwong Tau) is the capital of the Gwong Dung (JJHf[) province which is the southernmost of the 21 provinces of the People's Republic of China covering an area of 211 500 square kilometers (81 000 square miles), and is the largest city of South China. Since the 3rd century AD, the Chinese name of the city has been Gwong Tau. However, to Westerners the city is commonly known as Canton, a name that derives from that of the Gwong Dung province whose anglicized form gives Canton. Archaeology has revealed that the site of the city during the Chun ( ~ , Ch'in, 221-206 BC) and the Hon ( ~l, Han, 206 BC-AD 220) dynasties was slightly to the north of the present one. Today, Canton is situated just upstream of the head of the Pearl River Estuary, more than 90 miles (145 km) inland, west of the South China Sea. Canton, because of its geographical position, was the first port to be regularly visited by European traders and since the 3rd century AD has been the gateway for foreign influence. During the Southern Sung (l¥i*, 1127-1279) dynasty Chinese seamen and traders sailed to Southeast Asia, thus opening the way...