My favorite Chinese Style Song——“Fa Ruxue” (Hair Like Snow)

In China, we have a special song category called Chinese Style Songs（中国风歌曲）.

Chinese Style Songs need add some ancient Chinese allusions to the song as the background, their lyrics use ancient Chinese words and phrases from ancient poems, and a large number of oriental instruments are used in the arrangement. All help to create a traditional oriental beauty. In a word, Chinese Style Songs embody a lot of Chinese cultures especially Chinese traditional cultures.

The development of Chinese Style Songs has benefited a lot from my favorite Chinese singer Jay Chou and his good partner, Fang Wenshan. Jay Chou is one of the most famous and influential male singer and composer, while Fang Wenshan is one of the most famous and influential lyrics writer. They have collaborated with each other for over 15 years, creating a lot of beautiful and popular Chinese Style Songs.

In July 2003, Jay Chou launched an epoch-making song “Dongfeng Po” （东风破/the Broken Eastern Wind）on his “Ye Huimei” album. It was recognized as the first Chinese Style Songs.

Here I would like to introduce to you one of my favorite Chinese Style Songs, “Fa Ruxue”（发如雪/Hair Like Snow）. If “Dongfeng Po” is Jay Chou’s the first attempt to create Chinese Style Song, then two years later, he and Fang Wenshan’s works “Fa Ruxue” had fully grasped the essence of Chinese Style Songs.

This song’s lyric is more beautiful. Through the lyrics, you can imagine a love story that a couple who love each other are forced to leave each other for some kind of reason. Although they have been separated, the man is still waiting for his beloved woman and cannot forget their love story.

“Fa Ruxue” use the ancient instrument Chinese Zither in the arrangement, which makes it more sorrowful. In the lyrics, Fang Wenshan created two unique words on his own: “hair like snow” and “wolf teeth moon”. At the same time, he also used the red dust, the beauty, the invitation to the moon, the bronze mirror and other words from the famous ancient allusions. The whole lyrics are very antique, like an ancient love poem.

There are two most special things about this song: one is the rap part, which is also Jay Chou’s personal style. He prefers to add a little rap part to the Chinese Style Song. Next is the ending part. Jay Chou used the singing style similar to the Beijing Opera, while this part’s lyrics was like a folk rhyme. It sounded very fresh but very pleasant.

In order to let everyone understand the beauty of the song, I translated the lyrics on the basis of the predecessor translation.

狼牙月 伊人憔悴

Under the crescent moon,

My fair girl pines away.

我举杯 饮尽了风雪

Holding a cup in my hand

Downing wind and snow

是谁打翻前世柜 惹尘埃是非

who upsets my preexistence life

Stirring up dust and bringing about grief?

缘字诀 几番轮回

Our relationship has come to an end,

No matter how many times we go into reincarnation.

你锁眉 哭红颜唤不回

You wrinkle your brows,

crying over the beauty fading like the hours.

纵然青史已经成灰 我爱不灭

Even if the history is gone in ashes,

My love never ever ends.

繁华如三千东流水 我只取一瓢爱了解 只恋你化身的蝶

The bustling world is like all the waters flowing east ,

While I only take one scoop for love.

I am only obsessed with the flapping butterfly which you became

你发如雪 凄美了离别 我焚香感动了谁

Your hair is flying like snow falling,

which brings beauty and sorrow to our parting.

Whose heart is touched when I try to burn incenses?

邀明月 让回忆皎洁 爱在月光下完美

Inviting the moon to light up our past memories,

Our love becomes consummate under the moon.

你发如雪 纷飞了眼泪 我等待苍老了谁

Your hair is flying like snow falling,

which flutters tears away.

Who become aged because of my waiting？

红尘醉 微醺的岁月 我用无悔 刻永世爱你的碑

The red dust world.

The slightly drunken days.

With no regret,

I will carve a memorial of loving you until eternity in my heart.

啦儿啦 啦儿啦 啦儿啦儿啊

La Ah La~

啦儿啦 啦儿啦 啦儿啦儿啊

La Ah La~

铜镜映无邪 扎马尾

The bronze mirror reflects your pure face with ponytail

你若撒野 今生我把酒奉陪

I will accompany you whatever you do during this life.

（A picture I took in 2014 Jay chou’s Shanghai Concert）