Dunhuang Quzici refers to the one category of popular literature in ancient time during Tang Dynasty. It includes many different kinds of aspects like the Dunhuang songs, Quzidiao, popular songs, short songs and verses. They all conform to the principles of setting the contents according to sound and fixing the verses according to the music. The Dunhuang Quzici is the collection of the folk songs found in Dunhuang. When the students go to Chinese language school, the teachers will tell them the history of the Dunhuang Quzici. The Dunhuang Quzici was missing and lost some parts of the collection. It is the important referential material to conduct research on the history of Dunhuang.
The verses of the Dunhuang Quzici are mainly folk ones. Thus, the verses can truly reflect the society reality during that period of time. The verses written are used to express the thoughts and emotions of the lower class. There are many verses which describe the scenes of wars. This kind of verses reveals the pain and disaster caused by the wars to the people. But at the same time, the verses also praise the bravery and dauntless spirit of the soldiers who fight in the wars.
Another important content of the Dunhuang Quzici includes the description of women’s life and love. These kinds of verses often show the resistance of the bullied women and the pursuit for true love. The candid emotions of forever love and pure love are plain and touching. Some works reflect the different fates of merchants, travelers and employees. The works relate to many different topics and the language is plain and easy to understand, which reveals the folk life the contemporary people. Many foreign students say they like to read the verses when they take the intensive Mandarin course in China. The verses are full of charm and impressive.
The works which impress the emotions of the people are full of toughing forces. The wide range of topics gives a fresh feeling to the audience. Many people think they have learned a lot about the folk customs about Dunhaung. The words of the works leave a natural feeling to the audience. The emotions are sincere as well as rich. The Dunhuang Quzici is an important part of the development of the Chinese lyrics.