Yǒng é | Chinese Folk Songs Project - Chinese Folk Songs for Music Teachers

Xiǎo Yàn Zi
Lyrics by Wang Lu
Arranged by Wang Yunjie

On children’s Day in 1956, Wang Lu created this song and published it in “Art of Yangtze River”. In 1957, it was modified by composer Wang Yunjie and used into an episode of “Nurse Diary”. Since then, this song was sung all over the China. This song is in the form of questions and answers full of children’s fun.

Pinyin Version

Xiǎo yàn zi, chuān huā yī,
nián nián chūn tiān dào zhè lǐ
wǒ wèn yàn zi nǐ wéi shá lái,
yàn zi shuō: zhè lǐ di chūn tiān zhēn měi lì.
Xiǎo yàn zi gào sù nǐ,
jīn nián zhè lǐ gèng měi lì,
wǒ men gài qǐ liǎo dà gōng chǎng,
zhuāng shàng liǎo xīn jī qì.
Huān yíng nǐ cháng qī zhù zài zhè lǐ.

English Translation

Little swallow wears the flower cloth.
The swallows come here every spring
I ask the little swallow why they come here
They answer that “The spring is beautiful here ”
I tell the little swallow
It will be more beautiful this year
Because we have built a large factory
Installing new machines
Please live here forever.