Yangchunbaixue (White Snow in Yangchun), also known as Yangchun Guqu (Ancient Songs of Yangchun), was composed by Shi Kuang of the State of Jin during the Spring and Autumn Period. It is a masterpiece of pipa daqu, which is characterized by the comprehensive application of the expressive techniques and performance styles of pipa's literary and martial music. In the Warring States period, it became the elegant music of the Chu state; it also refers to high and elegant literary works that are not easy to understand. Often used in conjunction with the term "lower class people". Liu Xiang "new preface" Volume II "miscellaneous matters second": "resignation of guests have song in Ying, the beginning of which is said to be under the Ba Ren, the state belongs to and thousands of people. Its Yangling Caiwei, the state belongs to and hundreds of people; its Yangchun Baixue, the state belongs to and dozens of people only. Li Zhouhan note: "Yangchun", "White Snow", the name of the high song." Later on, it was used to refer to elegant tunes in general.
Chinese idiom source: State of war, Chu Song Yu "to the king of Chu asked": "Guests have songs in Ying, the beginning of which said: "the lower Barrens", the country belongs to and thousands of people." Song Yu was an opinionated civil official of Chu in the late Warring States period, who never went along with others' ideas. When the king of Chu heard others say something bad about him, he brought Song Yu in and asked, "Are you doing something wrong? Why are so many people dissatisfied with you?" Song Yu replied, "Let me tell you something first! There was a singer who sang in the capital. At first he sang the most popular folk song in Chu, 'The Lower Mainland', at which point several thousand of the onlookers sang along. Then he sang the more sophisticated "Yanga Allium dew", and only a few hundred people sang along. When he sang the elegant song "Yangchunbaixue", only a few dozen people were left to sing along. Finally, he sang a song of the highest order in which the five tones and six rhythms were especially harmonized. The people who could sing along with him were just a few. It can be seen that the more advanced the song, the fewer the people who can sing along!" Then Song Yu added, "It is the same among the literati. Those outstanding figures with lofty aspirations and noble behavior, of course the general public will not understand, and this is exactly what happened in my case!" The king of Chu heard these words of Song Yu and found them very reasonable. Then he did not pursue further.
The idiom of "Yangchunbaixue" and "Xiali Baren" is derived from this. The idiom "Yangchunbaixue" was later used to represent elegant literature and art, while "Xiali Baren" stood for literature and art that was easy to understand. Mao Zedong's "speech at the Yan'an Literary and Artistic Symposium" concludes, "Now it is a question of unifying 'white snow in the spring' and 'the people in the lower country', a question of unifying improvement and popularization."