Classification of Chinese folk songs:

There are many classification methods for Chinese folk songs. According to genre classification, it can be roughly divided into: chants (including porter chants, boatman chants, workshop chants, etc.), folk songs (including general folk songs, herding folk songs, field folk songs, etc.), minor tunes (including ballads, folk songs, etc.) There are three categories: tunes, custom ritual songs, dance songs, etc.). In the works of some scholars, folk songs are subdivided into chants, folk songs, pastoral songs, field Yangko, boat songs, nursery rhymes, minor tunes, custom ritual songs, etc. Genre classification helps to understand and study the relationship between folk songs and people's lives, the social functions of folk songs, as well as musical expression methods and characteristics.

Classified by national and regional styles and colors. There are 56 ethnic groups in China. Due to the differences in historical traditions, language characteristics, and living customs of each ethnic group, the styles and colors of folk songs of each ethnic group are very different. Some ethnic groups with a larger population and wider living areas, such as the Han, Mongolian, Tibetan, Zhuang, and Uyghur ethnic groups, can also be divided into several color areas based on the musical characteristics of folk songs in different regions. For example, Han folk songs can be roughly divided into 8 color areas: Northwest, North China, Northeast, Southwest, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong and Taiwan, Hunan and Hubei, and Jianghuai. Among them, the first 3 areas belong to the northern area, the 4th to 6th area belong to the southern area, and the 7th area , the 8th is a transitional area between north and south. The southern part and the transitional area are also divided into four regions: Yunnan, Guizhou and Guizhou, Sichuan, Hunan and Hubei, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong and Taiwan. There are different classification methods, each with its own basis.

The style and color classification method helps to understand and study the style and color of folk songs, the relationship between music and folk customs, and other issues. Classification according to subject matter and content is helpful to understand and study the relationship between the content and form of folk songs and other issues. In addition, there are also special classifications based on historical development periods or for the needs of a certain topic.

--------------------------Distribution of Chinese folk songs:

According to different national cultural backgrounds As well as the different styles and colors of folk songs, Chinese folk songs can be roughly divided into six different style and color areas.

1． Northern Grassland Culture Folk Song Area;

2. The Xinjiang folk song area in the west that is influenced by Islamic culture;

3. The Tibetan folk song area in the west that is influenced by Buddhist culture;

4. Southwest Plateau multi-ethnic ancient primitive culture folk song area;

5. The hunting culture folk song area in the Northeast that is influenced by shamanism;

6. Multi-ethnic semi-agricultural and semi-pastoral cultural folk song area on the northwest plateau;

7. The Central Plains and the eastern coast have Han folk song areas with ancient traditional culture.

As for the classification of folk songs in each folk song area. Due to different nationalities, each has its own traditional classification method, which cannot be unified and can only be different.

1． Northern Grassland Culture Folk Song Area

This folk song area is mainly located in the current Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and is represented by Mongolian folk songs. The Mongolian people have always been known as the "musical nation" and the "poetry nation". Folk songs can be divided into two categories: "long tune" and "short tune". "Long tune" folk songs are mainly popular in eastern pastoral areas and areas north of Yinshan Mountain. They are characterized by few words and long tunes, rich in decoration, loud and melodious tones, and free rhythm. It reflects the momentum of the vast grassland and the broad mind of the herdsmen. Most of the pastoral songs, homesick songs, hymns, etc. belong to long tunes. Famous pieces include "Broad Grassland", "Pastoral", etc. "Short tune" is mainly popular in semi-agricultural and semi-pastoral areas in the west and south. It is characterized by short structure and regular rhythm. Many narrative songs, love songs, and wedding songs belong to "short tune". Famous short-key folk songs include "Senji Dema", "Little Yellow Horse", etc. The uniqueness of grassland cultural folk songs is to express the simple, hearty, enthusiastic, and bold emotions and characters of grassland herdsmen. In addition, there is also a "Mongolian-Han tune" (Barbarian-Han tune) in Simon, which is the product of the mutual absorption and exchange of the music culture of the Mongolian and Han nationalities. The "Mountain Climbing Tune" popular in the Hetao area is also a favorite song of both the Mongolian and Han nationalities.

2． The Xinjiang folk song area in the west that is influenced by Islamic culture

This folk song area is located in Xinjiang and is represented by Uyghur and Kazakh folk songs. It has been influenced by the traditional Islamic culture from Central Asia and has a certain connection with Arab music culture. . The Uyghurs are a nation that is good at singing and dancing, and its singing and dancing art is world-famous for its "Twelve Muqam". Folk songs fall into four categories: love songs, labor songs, historical songs, and life custom songs. In terms of tone, Uyghur folk songs include three music systems: Chinese music, Arabic, and European music. It is the most prominent source of diversified tones of Chinese folk songs. Many folk songs are combined with dance and have a lively and interesting style. Famous folk songs at home and abroad include "Alabhan", "Half Moon Climbs Up", "Dabancheng", "Send Me a Rose", etc. The Kazakhs mainly live in northern Xinjiang and are engaged in animal husbandry. Folk songs can be divided into three major categories: (l) folk songs with fixed lyrics and music (including pastoral songs, hunting songs, love songs, religious songs, etc.); (2) folk songs with improvised lyrics (including folk songs, fishing songs, riddle songs, etc.); (3) Customary songs (including wedding songs, wedding songs, wedding songs, etc.). Among them, love songs are the most numerous, most of which express the pain and blessings of a lover's departure. There are two systems of Kazakh folk songs: Chinese music and European music. In the Chinese music system, Gong and Yu modes are the most common. Famous throughout the country include "Mayila", "Wait for Me Until Dawn", etc.

3． Tibetan Folk Song Area Influenced by Buddhist Culture in the West

This folk song area includes the Tibet Autonomous Region and some Tibetan-inhabited areas in Qinghai and Sichuan. Folk songs include five categories: folk songs (pastoral songs), labor songs, love songs, folk songs, and chants. Most folk song singing activities are related to Buddhist festivals, and many folk songs are combined with dances, such as "Nangma", "Duixie", "Guoxie", "Guozhuang" and other song and dance varieties. The music belongs to the Chinese music system, and folk songs are generally characterized by enthusiasm, cheerfulness, sincerity, and moving, rich in plateau characteristics, and strong rhythm. Famous folk songs include "Golden Mountain in Beijing" and so on. "Beijing's Golden Mountain" was originally an arrow song (that is, a hunting song), which was originally spread in the southeastern forest area of ??Tibet. Now it has become a new folk song spread across the country.

4. Multi-ethnic Ancient Primitive Culture Folk Song Area on the Southwest Plateau

This folk song area includes ethnic minority areas in Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi and other places. There are more than twenty different ethnic groups living here. Folk songs in this area have different levels of ancient cultural characteristics and have special social functions. Most folk songs are a singing form that combines "poetry, song, and dance" with complex and diverse content. There are also folk songs from different historical stages. Since many ethnic groups do not have writing, folk songs have become an important means for them to record history, spread knowledge and conduct social activities, and have become an indispensable part of daily life. All of these reflect special, multi-layered cultural phenomena. The representative folk songs of this area are polyphonic folk songs. Most ethnic groups have two-part and three-part folk songs. Folk songs are classified into "big songs" and "small songs". Big songs are most famous among the Dong, Buyi, Zhuang and other ethnic groups. Big songs are divided into three types: male, female and children. Male big songs generally have strong rhythm and bright tunes. The female vocals have a freer rhythm and a delicate and soft melody. In addition to two-part songs, there are also single-part folk songs. The content is mainly about love, and is usually sung by young men and women indoors with small voices. In addition, there are ancient songs, among which the ancient songs of the Miao people have the longest history. The content describes the formation of heaven and earth and the origin of human beings. Reasons for travel, etc. The tunes are recitative, and most of the singers are old people. The Dong folk song became famous throughout the country in the 1950s, and other folk songs such as "The Osmanthus Blossoms Bloom and the Noble One Comes" and "Axi Dances in the Moon Song" are also representative repertoires.

5. The hunting culture folk song area influenced by shamanism in the northeast

This folk song area mainly includes the Greater and Lesser Xing'an Mountains in the Northeast, represented by the folk songs of the Oroqen ethnic group (including Ewenki, Hezhe, Daur, and Manchu Tiao). The Oroqen ethnic group in 1949 Many traces of primitive society still remain. This is a nation that loves singing and dancing. In the past, they made a living by hunting. Whenever they returned from hunting with a full load or during national festivals, they would have a carnival of singing and dancing. Their folk songs can be divided into three major categories: (l) folk songs, (2) song and dance songs, and (3) shamanic tunes. Folk songs are divided into "long tunes" and "short tunes". "Long tunes" are high-pitched and vigorous, with free beats; "short tunes" have smooth tunes and regular rhythms. Most of the songs and dances are in one lead and form. Shaman tunes are for inviting gods, The songs sung during dances, ancestor worship, and funerals are mostly in chanting style. Oroqen folk songs are mostly in the palace mode and the feather mode. Their favorite folk songs include "Ehulan? Dehulan". ", is a song that praises nature. In addition, "Oroqen Little Song" is also famous throughout the country.

6. The multi-ethnic semi-agricultural and semi-pastoral cultural folk song area of ??the northwest plateau.

This folk song area includes the upper reaches of the Yellow River in Gansu, Qinghai, and Ningxia. It is an area where Han, Hui, Tu, Salar, Baoan, Dongxiang, Tibetan, and Yugu ethnic groups live together. It has historically been a semi-agricultural and semi-pastoral culture. It was once a must-go place on the "Silk Road" and had early cultural exchanges between the East and the West. Due to the long-term multi-ethnic interaction, the folk songs of the eight ethnic groups - "Hua'er" - can be divided into "Hua'er". There are two categories: "Family Songs" and "Wild Songs". "Family Songs" include various wine songs, banquet songs, short poems, Yangko, etc.; "Wild Songs" include various folk songs, pastoral songs, etc. including "Hua'er". Wild Songs The song can only be sung outdoors. "Hua'er" is a representative song with high-pitched and long melody, deep and melodious style, rough and simple temperament, and is sung in Chinese, and each ethnic group has its own lyrics, which is famous at home and abroad. The song includes "Going up to the mountains and looking at the plains"

7. The Han folk song area in the Central Plains and the eastern coast has ancient traditional culture.

The Han folk song area is the largest among the six districts. , from the cold north to the subtropical south, from the northwest plateau, the southwest plateau to the eastern coastal plain, the geographical conditions, customs, life, and production methods are diverse. Although the language is all Chinese, the dialects in the east, west, and south are different. There are great differences between the two countries, and the styles and characteristics of folk songs also show various characteristics. On the other hand, the Han people have a population of more than 10 million in the northern grassland folk song area, the northwest semi-agricultural and semi-pastoral folk song area, and the southwest plateau multi-ethnic folk song area. , the phenomenon of partial overlap of folk song areas also exists. Based on the above situation, the Han folk song area can be divided into ten branch areas and one special zone.

(l) Northeastern Capital Plain Folk Song Branch;

(2) Northwest Plateau Folk Song Branch;

(3) Jianghuai Folk Song Branch; < /p>

(4) Jiangsu and Zhejiang Plain Folk Song Branch;

(5) Fujian and Taiwan Folk Song Branch;

(6) Guangdong Folk Song Branch;

(7) Jianghan Plain Folk Song Branch;

(8) Hunan Folk Song Branch;

(9) Gan Folk Song Branch;

(10) Southwest Plateau Folk Song Branch,

(11) Hakka Folk Song Special Zone.

There are many kinds of Han folk songs, and their different social functions can be divided into ten categories: labor chants, folk songs, minor tunes, field songs, fishing songs, tea songs, Yangko (including lantern songs), and custom songs , children's songs, children's rocking songs.

(1) Northeast Plain Folk Song Branch

This region includes Shandong, Hebei, Northeast Henan, northern Jiangsu and other lower reaches of the Yellow River, as well as the three provinces of Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang , basically a coastal plain zone. Since ancient times, the lower reaches of the Yellow River have been a culturally developed area. According to slight differences in style, the district can be divided into two subdistricts. Shandong, Hebei and parts of Hebei and Northern Jiangsu are the first subdistrict; Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang are the second subdistrict. The second community is actually the immigration area of ??the first community. Therefore, folk songs belong to similar styles. The eastern northern dialect is spoken throughout the region. The folk songs here are mainly in minor keys, followed by Yangko and Haozi, and there are very few folk songs. Representative folk songs include "Little Baicai", "Drawing a Fan", "Yimeng Mountain Minor", "Little Watching Opera" and so on.

(2) Northwest Plateau Folk Song Branch

This region includes Shanxi, Dadu of Shaanxi, northwest Henan, the Hetao area of ??Inner Mongolia, and areas inhabited by Han people in Gansu, Qinghai and Ningxia. The east is bounded by the Taihang Mountains and is separated from the folk song area in the northeast. The north and south are south of the Yinshan Mountains and north of the Qinling Mountains, belonging to the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River. In the past, transportation was inconvenient, and folk music rarely communicated with other places, and the northern dialect of the northwest capital was used. Among folk songs, folk songs are the most prominent. Including "Xintianyou", "Mountain Music", "Mountain Climbing Tune" and "Hua'er". Followed by Yangko and minor tunes. The nationally famous repertoire includes "Walking to the West Entrance", "Driving the Animal Spirits", "Orchid Flowers", "Pushing Chow Mein", "Fifth Brother Herding Sheep", "Purchasing Potatoes", "Embroidering the Golden Plaque", etc.

(3) Jianghuai Folk Song Branch

This area includes northern Jiangsu, most of Anhui, and southeastern Henan in the Huaihe River Basin. It is bounded by Dabie Mountain and Jianghan Folk Song District to the west. This area is located between the Yellow River and Yangtze River basins. Its music culture combines elements from the south and the north, with transitional characteristics. Use a northern dialect. Folk songs are most prominent in field songs and minor tunes, followed by Yangko and folk songs. The famous repertoire includes "Fengyang Flower Drum", "Wang Sanjie Goes to the Market", "Damai Song", "Bigen Luchai Flower", etc.

(4) Jiangsu-Zhejiang Plain Folk Song Branch

This area includes Jiangsu Nandu, Shanghai, and most of Zhejiang. It is located in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and was the ancient land of Wu and Yue. The culture is relatively developed and the people's lives are relatively prosperous. It has always been known as the fish and rice town in the south of the Yangtze River. The dialect used is Wu dialect. Folk songs are mainly in minor keys, and famous repertoires include "Zizhu Diao", "Wuxi Scene", "Jasmine", "Crying Qiqi", "Duplicate Bird", etc.

(5) Fujian and Taiwan Folk Song Branch

This area includes most of Fujian, most of Taiwan and the Chaoshan area of ??Guangdong. Fujian and Taiwan have had cultural origins since ancient times. The local Han people in Taiwan have always spoken Hokkien. In addition, the two places also have some unique local operas, rap music, etc. Folk songs are prominent in folk songs, field poems and minor tunes. Famous repertoires include "Picking Tea and Flying Butterflies", "Tea Boy's Song", "Tianwuwu" and so on.

(6) Guangdong Folk Song Branch

This region includes most of Guangdong in the Pearl River Basin, southeastern Guangyou, and parts of Hainan. It is bounded by Nanling to the north and the Gan Folk Song District. Adjacent. This place is located in the subtropical zone, with the Pearl River running from east to west. It has early cultural exchanges with overseas countries and uses the Cantonese dialect. In the past, fishermen became an important social class in the area. Among the folk songs, fishing songs - saltwater songs are the most prominent. Famous repertoire include "Falling Water Sky", "Spring Niu Diao", "Lili Mei", etc.

(7) Jianghan Plain Folk Song Branch

This area includes parts of Hubei, southwestern Henan and northern Hunan, and is the center of ancient Chu culture. Use southwestern dialect. The ancient culture is relatively developed and folk art has a long history. It still retains antique local characteristics in many aspects. Among folk songs, field songs are the most prominent, followed by lantern songs, minor tunes, custom songs, and folk songs. Famous repertoire include "Fourth Sister Huang", "Honghu Fishing Song", etc.

(8) Xiang Folk Song Branch District

This district includes Hunan and several counties in the northeastern corner of Guangxi. It is located on the south bank of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, which was also the ancient Chu land. The people adhere to the Chu style and the local people follow the Chu customs. It is inextricably linked to the Jianghan folk song area, but the dialects used are different. The Xiang dialect is commonly used in this area. The most representative folk songs are folk songs and field songs. Famous repertoires include "Lampstand in Masang Village", "One Pond of Lotus and One Pond of Lotus", "Up to Sichuan", etc.

(9) Gan Folk Song Branch

This area takes the central, northern and eastern parts of Jiangxi as its basic scope and uses the Gan dialect. It is located between Wu and Chu in ancient times. Wu and Chu culture had a certain impact on it. It has the nature of a transitional zone for cultural exchanges between the east and west of the Yangtze River Basin, and its folk songs are highly integrated.

Tea songs are the most distinctive, followed by minor tunes and lantern songs. Among the field songs, "drumming songs" are also prominent. Famous repertoires include "Azalea Blossoms", "Picking Tea Seeds", "Sending a Man to the Red Army", etc.

(10) Southwest Plateau Folk Song Branch

This region includes Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, southern Shaanxi and parts of northwest Guangxi. It is bounded by the Qinling Mountains in the north, and the southwest dialect is commonly used. The representative folk songs are folk songs, followed by lantern songs. In addition, the boatmen's chants on the Sichuan River are also very distinctive. Famous repertoires include "The River Flowing", "Gangma Tune", "When Will the Sophora Flowers Bloom", "I Live in Guiyang Prefecture, Guizhou", etc.

(11) Hakka Folk Song Special Zone

The Hakka people are widely distributed, with a population of more than 80 million across the country. The Minou Special Zone mainly refers to northeastern Guangdong, southwestern Fujian and southeastern Jiangxi The border area of ??three provinces. The Hakka people here are relatively concentrated. They are immigrants brought from the northern Central Plains due to wars in ancient times. They retain their ancient traditions and speak the Hakka dialect. Folk songs are mainly folk songs, and famous repertoires include "Song of Red Lanterns" and "Bamboo Leaves Blowing in the Wind".

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The development trajectory of Chinese folk songs:

< p>Since folk songs are songs of working people, working people were looked down upon in feudal society and semi-feudal and semi-colonial old China, and their songs suffered the same fate. Even in the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, it was repeatedly banned by imperial orders. There are few written records of its history. From the inspection of unearthed cultural relics, there are more related to ancient musical instruments, but less related to singing activities. The pottery pot with singing and dancing images unearthed in Datong County, Qinghai is really valuable. It shows the totem worship singing and dancing activities of the matriarchal society six thousand years ago. In primitive times, singing and dancing were combined. To this day, many minority areas still maintain the ancient tradition of singing and dancing. The ancient written book "Huainanzi" mentioned that the ancients sang labor chants when carrying wood, which shows that early folk songs are closely connected with labor. From the perspective of brother ethnic groups, such as the singing and dancing images on the Yinshan rock paintings, the "Panwang Song" of the Yao people, the "Ancient Songs" of the Miao people, the "Shaman Tune" of the Manchu people, etc., we can also see primitive folk songs and witchcraft and other primitive religious activities. related.

As for ancient folk songs, it is impossible to reproduce the actual sound. Only some of its lyrics can be seen in ancient literary works. As for the music score, there is no music score, because folk songs have always been sung orally. Even after the notation became available, working people did not use it. It is estimated that it was not until the end of the 19th century that folklorists recorded several folk songs using Gongchi notation. Comprehensive and planned collection, arrangement, recording and publication of folk songs became a reality only in New China. Historically, folk songs have always had many different names, such as Xiaoqu, Slang Qu, Xiaoling, Popular Qu, Shici. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, folk songs were often used to refer to various folk songs.

The Book of Songs is the earliest collection of folk lyrics in my country. It collects folk songs that were popular in the Yellow River Basin in the north for 500 years from the Western Zhou Dynasty to the middle of the Spring and Autumn Period (11th century BC - 6th century BC). The distinctive feature of the folk songs of the fifteen vassal states is the use of realist artistic techniques, which truly reflects the social life, class contradictions and the multi-faceted lives of the working people at that time. In terms of the uniformity of form and language, it is not difficult to see that this has been selected, processed and organized. In the fourth century BC, another collection of folk songs from the Yangtze River Basin appeared, "Songs of Chu". This was a collection of lyrics compiled and processed by the great poet Qu Yuan based on ancient witch songs in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. Its outstanding feature is that it is full of ancient myths and legends and full of imagination. It began to use romantic expression techniques and developed the four-character folk songs of the "Book of Songs" into a "Sao" with free sentence structure and changeable rhymes. It is a body song and has a strong local color. By the time of the Six Dynasties of Han Dynasty (206 BC - 420 AD), most of the folk songs were preserved in the Yuefu. The Han "Yuefu" folk songs were actually a collection of folk songs from various places in the Huaihe River Basin, the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River. At this time, there were already story songs, such as "The Peacock Flies Southeast" and "Benlan Joins the Army". Most of their contents reflected the suffering caused by the war to the people and the family tragedies under feudal ethics. This story has been passed down from the beginning of the Christian era to this day and is almost universally known to every household. Not only is it sung in the form of folk songs, but it has also become a famous repertoire of Chinese opera, which shows its profound influence. The outstanding feature of Yuefu folk songs is that not only the text part has been sorted, but also the music has been processed by Li Yannian, a famous musician in the Han Dynasty at that time, and it was accompanied by silk and bamboo instruments, which is called Xianghe song.

From the folk songs in the Book of Songs to the Yuefu folk songs of the Han Dynasty, it can be said that it is the early ancient period of Chinese folk songs. Its rich content and strong expressive power are quite perfect. It is conceivable that before this, there were still folk songs. A rather long primitive era. In the primitive era, there was no professionalism in music culture. In slave society, slave owners had music slaves dedicated to their enjoyment, and differentiation began. The real division into two categories of professional music and folk music was in feudal society. There were people who performed and sang specifically for emperors and nobles in sacrifices, ceremonies, banquets, entertainment, etc., especially notation and professional composers. , only then gradually formed the obvious boundary between literary and artistic fields. Since the Han Dynasty, our country has been divided into professional and folk music. After the Han Dynasty, there are very few folk song collections compiled by official organizations.

It is difficult to confirm whether the tones of early folk songs still exist today, but the dragon rowing songs commemorating Qu Yuan (including "Starting the Oar", "River Tour", and "Race Ferry") in Zigui County, Hubei Province, as well as ancient boat songs in the Yellow River and Yangtze River basins, are now circulating. The tones of the songs (including "The Oaring Horn", "The Threading Horn", etc.) probably have a history of more than a thousand years! Maybe it's the legacy of the ages.

From the Han Dynasty to the Sui and Tang Dynasties, there was a period of the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420-589 AD). Historically, this was a period of great integration of all ethnic groups in our country. Folk songs were clearly divided into Southern Folk Songs (Southern Folk Songs). ) and Northern Folk Songs (Northern Folk Songs). The distinctive feature of folk songs in this period is the exchange and integration of multi-ethnic music culture. Regardless of the roughness and boldness of northern folk songs or the freshness and liveliness of southern folk songs, they are not a single national style. This different style of northern and southern folk songs can still discern its profound influence in the existing northern and southern folk songs today.

The Tang Dynasty (AD 615-967) and the Song Dynasty (AD 960-1279) were the cultural flourishing periods of China's feudal era. Especially during the Tang Dynasty, a large number of song and dance arts from border ethnic groups were introduced to the Central Plains. The music of the Central Plains had a significant impact. It is obvious that cultural exchanges at home and abroad played a role in promoting the development of music. Professional music in the Tang Dynasty achieved high achievements. The Tang and Song Dynasties were gradually formed based on the rap and opera in Song folk music. Regarding the folk songs of the Tang Dynasty, we can find some from the tunes collected in Dunhuang, such as "Wu Geng Song" and so on. In addition, one and two can be understood from the "Bamboo Branch Song" that was circulated at that time. The Bamboo Branch Song is a free-singing lyrical folk song that emerged in the Bayu area in the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River. The famous poets Liu Yuxi and Bai Juyi of the Tang Dynasty absorbed elements of this folk song. He has written "Song of Bamboo Branches" created by some literati. To this day, traces of the musical form and structure of "Song of Bamboo Branches" can still be found in field songs in western Hubei and eastern Sichuan. "Quci" was very popular in the Song Dynasty. At that time, it was a new folk singing form. The Yuan Dynasty (AD 1221-1368) is famous for "Xiaoling", which is a kind of folk song. Today, there are still folk songs named after "Ling" among the folk songs in the northwest region. Very few Xiaolings of the Yuan Dynasty have been passed down to later generations. The rulers of the Yuan Dynasty regarded folk songs that contained dissatisfaction and satire on current affairs as a scourge and strictly prohibited their singing.

The Ming Dynasty (AD 1368-1684) and the Qing Dynasty (AD 1641-1911) were the end of feudal society. The emerging capitalist economy began to sprout. The citizen class in medium and small towns rose. Class contradictions and National conflicts are very acute. Under this historical background, the people's thoughts are extremely active, and folk songs are particularly prosperous. Their number and the intensity of the people's character are unprecedented. At this time, there were already semi-professional artists singing folk songs and ditties. By the late Qing Dynasty (after 1848), China had entered a semi-feudal and semi-colonial society. The themes of anti-feudalism and resistance to foreign aggression have become the characteristics of modern folk songs. During this period, there appeared many collections of folk song lyrics collected and edited by writers, such as Huang Zunxian's "Hakka Folk Songs", Feng Menglong's "Wu Songs", Li Tiaoyuan's "Cantonese Gu" and Hua Guangsheng's "Baixue Yiyin", etc. Due to personal preference, most of these folk song collections focus on folk lyrical folk songs in terms of variety. Many of these folk songs are still sung among the people today. What is even more worth mentioning is the "Liao Zhai Slang" written by Pu Songling, a famous folk literature writer in the Qing Dynasty, which selected more than fifty kinds of folk songs that were popular in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties. Some of them have been sung by folk artists to this day, allowing us to hear folk tunes that are three to four hundred years old, which are very precious.

Since the 20th century, after the 1911 Revolution of 1911 and the "May Fourth" New Culture Movement in 1919, folk songs have entered a new stage, and anti-imperialist and anti-feudal folk songs have reached a climax. After the founding of the Communist Party of China in 1921, folk songs were revitalized with the awakening of farmers and herdsmen. A significant sign of folk songs in this period is that a large number of new folk songs from the interior spread to the eastern coastal areas, and folk songs from some border ethnic groups also spread to the Central Plains. New folk songs that reflected the theme of people's revolution and unity to resist foreign aggression were unprecedentedly prosperous. In addition, there are also many folk songs about fighting for freedom of marriage, equality for women, and opposing tobacco and drugs. Around the time of the May Fourth Movement, Li Jiarui's "Beiping Folk Song Collection" came out, and there were already records of folk songs. What is even more worth mentioning is that the movement to learn from folk music that emerged in Yan'an after 1942 was of epoch-making significance and opened a new page in the history of modern music.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the working people were truly respected. Chinese folk songs entered a new era. Folk songs that reflected the people's new life sprung up like bamboo shoots. Not only were their themes novel, but they also The music style is more lively, enthusiastic, cheerful and bright, full of upward passion and optimism. Due to the imbalance of socio-economic and cultural development of various ethnic groups in the past, many ethnic groups even do not have written characters, so folk songs are still their The main art form is also an indispensable part of daily life, and most of them retain the form of combining "poetry, song and dance". In contrast, due to the rapid development of opera and rap, the Han people's folk song singing activities are not as active as those of other ethnic groups, and there are not as many folk songs sung along the coast as in inland areas. This is also a distinctive feature of folk songs in the new historical period.