Guests From Afar You Stay 远方的客人请你留下来

A song used by hospitable Chinese to welcome guests

Overview

Chinese Name: 远方的客人请你留下来

English Name: Guests From Afar You Stay, Yuan Fang De Ke Ren Qing Ni Liu Xia Lai

Composer: Mai Ding 麦丁

Lyricist: Fan Yu 范禹

Release Date: 1953

Guests From Afar You Stay was co-composed by Fan Yu 范禹 and songwriter Mai Ding 麦丁 in 1953. The inspiration for this song came from the warm and simple ethnic compatriots of the Yi people 彝族 in Yunnan 云南.

Story Of Guests From Afar You Stay

In 1953, Fan Yu came to a village in Yunnan Province to experience rural life. During the day, they help farmers thresh wheat, herd cattle, and collect folk songs at night. The youths who lived nearby sang with Fan Yu in pairs at night.

He decided to write a song to celebrate the beauty of Sani 撒尼. One day, Fan Yu, who was lying on the wheat stack, saw a person walking by on a winding path in front of him, and suddenly found inspiration. So, in just over 30 minutes, he created the lyrics.

These simple, cordial, and sincere lyrics inspired composer Mai Ding’s creative inspiration. He set the main melody with local Sani-style tunes, absorbed music from local Yi songs, and also referenced Russian folk songs, and finally completed the song. This song sets the melody with the tune of the Sani style while incorporating elements of folk songs.

The inspiration for this song comes from the warm and simple ethnic minority compatriots of the Yi people in Yunnan. Fan Yu and Mai Ding were warmly received by the local residents. They were good at singing and dancing, and they liked to express their welcome to the guests who came from afar.

Guests From Afar You Stay was created in 1953, but it didn’t attract any attention at first. Until 1954, a new song concert was organized in Beijing. After it was sung, there was no applause for a long time. Just when the curtain was about to close, the applause suddenly sounded like a tide, and then the song was sung one after another. Three times, the audience is still not satisfied.

This song has been sung from north to south and won a lot of praise. Premier Zhou Enlai 周恩来 was very happy after hearing this piece and instructed it to be the welcome piece of the Great Hall of the People.

In 1957, in the 6th World Youth Festival Songwriting Competition held in Moscow, the chorus Guests From Afar You Stay won the gold medal in one fell swoop, winning a place for Chinese folk music in the international music scene.

In 2008, the closing ceremony of the 29th Beijing Olympic Games was staged in Beijing. Some famous singers and representatives of ethnic minorities completed the chorus “Guests from afar, please stay”, a chorus of 68 singers, symbolizing the great integration with countries around the world.

Lyrics of Guests From Afar You Stay

Chinese Lyrics

English Translation

The flowers on the roadside are blooming
The fruit on the tree is picked by others
The flowers on the roadside are blooming
The fruit on the tree is picked by others
That Selose, that ahloah
Guests from afar, please stay
Guests from afar, please stay here
Aloaloaloa
Seloselose
Guests from afar, please stay
Guests from afar, please stay here
oh aloaloaloa

Guests From Afar You Stay Song Zuying 宋祖英 2016

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