Chinese Han folk songs can be divided into three categories based on their musical characteristics: chants, folk songs and minor tunes.

1. Labor chants: transportation chants, engineering chants, farming chants, workshop chants, and boating and fishing chants.

2. Folk songs: herding folk songs, field songs, general folk songs (Xintianyou, Huaer, mountain songs, mountain-climbing tunes, divine songs)

3. Minor tunes:

1. Minor tunes evolved from folk songs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (Meng Jiangnu tune, Hua Hua tune, Embroidered purse tune, Jian Indigo tune)

2. Local minor tunes.

3. Song and dance tunes (Huagu tune, Deng tune, Huadeng tune, Tea-picking tune, Yangko tune, Land Boating tune)

Extended information:

Folk songs Characteristics of folk songs

Folk song lyrics: reflect all aspects of rural life and are improvised. The lyrics are mainly seven-character sentences and use more interjections. Folk songs mostly use modal interjections, modal interjections and free extensions. The combination of drawl and drawl forms the unique characteristics of folk songs.

Folk music: unrestrained and loud. Extensive use of free sustains and drawls. The combination of the free extended sound and the calling liner words at the beginning and end of the song forms the front or back cavity, which is a unique feature of folk songs.

Singing forms: mostly solo, but also duet, several people singing together, singing in unison, one leading the chorus, etc.