The Nanjing Folk Orchestra was established in January 1986. Its predecessor was the Nanjing Song and Dance Ensemble Folk Band.

Since its establishment, the orchestra has successively created the ensemble "Jinling Ancient Rhythm", the percussion ensemble "Celebrating the World", the quartet "Meiling Spring", the sheng solo "Quiet Night Thoughts", and the xun solo "Raindrops from the Sky" and a number of outstanding works, which have become the orchestra’s repertoire.

The orchestra has become famous overseas through many visits and performances abroad. Since 1988, the orchestra has been invited to visit the former Soviet Union, Romania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Japan, France, Italy, Egypt, Israel and other countries to participate in various international art festivals and friendly visit performances. The high-level and exquisite performance captivated the audience, and the audience applauded wildly. At the same time, the troupe also holds performances for Chinese and foreign audiences every year at Jinling Yuefu, making positive contributions to promoting the music culture of the Chinese nation. The current main artists of the orchestra include Pei Deyi, Lei Jiangong, etc.