Mo Li Hua茉莉花

Overview

Chinese Name: 茉莉花
English Name: Mo Li Hua, Jasmine Flower
Composer: He Fang何仿 Chinese Folk Tune

Mo Li Hua was adapted from the Chinese folk song Flower Tune by He Fang and was first released as a single in 1957.

Composition Story of Mo Li Hua

In the winter of 1942, He Fang visited a local pianist and singer. The pop singer performed the folk song “Flower Tune” for him. He Fang was immediately fascinated by the melody of “Flower Tune”, so he spent most of the day writing down the song with simplified music and singing it accurately according to the artist’s method. Because “Flower Tune” is a creation from Chinese folk, it seems a little rough on the whole. In order to polish the song, He Fang considered again and again, adapted the Flower Tune, and rewritten the three kinds of flowers described in the lyrics into jasmine. In 1957, He Fang planned to perform the song publicly for the first time by the front-line song and dance troupe at the all army literature and art festival in Beijing. As the song was echoed in the performance, a recorded version was released. In the following two years, He Fang revised the lyrics of the song.

The melody of Mo Li Hua comes from the folk, and the lyrics are close to people’s life. Therefore, it has been loved by people since its birth. From the oldest old people to the six-year-old children, you can hum a few words.

The melodious singing seems to bring us to the flower season. In the flower garden of Jiangnan Water Town, a gentle and virtuous girl is attracted by the fragrant and beautiful jasmine. She can’t bear to pick, give up, love and nostalgia.

Lyrics of Mo Li Hua

Chinese lyrics

好一朵美丽的茉莉花
好一朵美丽的茉莉花
芬芳美丽满枝桠
又香又白人人夸
让我来将你摘下
送给别人家
茉莉花呀茉莉花

English Translation

What a beautiful jasmine flower
What a beautiful jasmine flower
Sweet-smelling, beautiful, stems full of buds
Fragrant and white, everyone praises
Let me pluck you down
Give to someone else
Jasmine flower, oh jasmine flower