The so-called storytelling means that the storyline of this type of works is mainly expressed in the form of verse. Among them, those with tunes, rhythms and rhymes, and accompaniment of drums and strings are called singing styles, including big drums, fishing drums (Taoqing), tanci, pendants, Qinshu, Haolaibao (Mongolian), Dabenqu ( Bai Nationality), Jiasu (Yi Nationality), Octagonal Drum (Manchu), etc.; those that do not have musical accompaniment and only recite verses with certain musicality are called rhymes, such as Shandong Kuaishu, Tianjin Kuaiban, Qianban, Zanha ( Dai people), Haba (Hani people), etc.

Whether it is a singing style or a rhyming style, folk rap is mostly developed and evolved on the basis of folk songs, minor tunes, and folk tunes. The content mainly reflects the real life of the general public. Some express historical themes, eulogize the peasant uprising, expose the darkness of the old society, such as "Changban Slope", "Nao Jingzhou", etc.; some criticize feudal ethics and express people's pursuit of The good wishes for the independence of marriage, such as "The Young Couple Carrying Water"; some express the humorous taste of the people and are full of comedy, such as "Elm Pomegranate" by Henan Zhuizi, which reflects the unreasonable marriage system in the old days, "Nineteen-year-old Daughter-in-law" "Ten-year-old man", the future groom was ignorant of worldly affairs and stole pomegranates into his father-in-law's back garden. He was immediately caught, and the person who caught the "thief" was his unmarried daughter-in-law. It exposes unreasonable arranged marriages in the form of comedy. The innocence of the son-in-law and the self-improvement of the daughter-in-law all show that the idea of ??freedom and democracy has emerged even in rural areas. The folk rap art form of storytelling is short in length and full of fun. Some of the lyrics are concise and bright, while others are famous for their delicate depiction, and are loved by the masses. Works that are mainly about storytelling and adopt the form of prose narrative, such as storytelling in the north and commentaries and commentaries in the south. They all inherited the ancient art of speaking. After the development of a group of famous writers such as Liu Jingting in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, two major systems were formed by the early Qing Dynasty, namely Pinghua in the south and Pingshu in the north. Southern Pinghua is represented by Yangzhou Pinghua and Suzhou Pinghua. In addition, there are Nanjing Pinghua, Hangzhou Pinghua and Fuzhou Pinghua. This system of Pinghua is all directly influenced by Liu Jingting. The storytelling in the north is dominated by Beijing storytelling, which is said to have been created by Wang Hongxing during the Qianlong period.

Traditional Pingshu and Pinghua generally have three aspects of content. The first is the battle between the enemy and the enemy, the change of dynasties, the battle between loyalists and traitors, and the peace and stability of the country. Such as "Countries", "Three Kingdoms", "Sui and Tang Dynasties", "Generals of the Yang Family", "Biography of the Heroes of the Ming Dynasty", etc. The second is Green Forest Chivalry, also known as "Small Short Fight Book", which writes about sworn alliances, fighting violence, martial arts competitions, defeating mountains and villages, etc. For example, "Water Margin" is divided into Wu, Song, Shi, Lu, Lin, Lu, and Hou Water Margin Six parts, each with several chapters; in addition, there are "Three Heroes and Five Righteousnesses", "Green Peony", "Eight Aperture Pearl", etc. The third is smoke powder monsters, which are mainly created based on myths and legends. They mostly express miraculous ghosts, fox demons, snakes and immortals, etc. They use illusory artistic images to express human reality, such as "Liao Zhai", "Journey to the West", "Feng Shen Bang", etc. .

The cultural connotations of Pinghua and Storytelling are mainly reflected in: First, it shows all social phenomena. It is like a mirror, deeply and vividly reflecting the complicated and colorful world, and constructing it in front of the world. Create a picture of Chinese history from ancient times to the present. For example, when a certain emperor is mentioned in the book, it can not only refer to the emperors of the previous dynasties and later generations, but also gain the reputation of the subjects and common people. It can even be compared with foreign presidents or emperors. With contrast and contrast, it encompasses rich social life. The second embodies traditional virtues. From the perspective of aesthetic connotation, the ethical and moral concepts involved are relatively complex. It not only reflects the moral concepts contained in social life itself, praising truth, goodness and beauty, but also dares to choose and tell the storyteller's story. Thought tendency. For example, the traditional virtues of the Chinese nation in feudal society are concentrated in loyalty, filial piety, integrity, and righteousness. Storytellers do not generalize them in general, but identify and analyze them, and divide the supreme king into a wise king and a faint king. , tyrants, upper-level figures are also divided into honest officials and corrupt officials, and then narrate and comment on their merits and demerits.

The most prominent feature of cross talk is that it can constantly make people laugh. Without laughter, there would be no cross talk. Therefore, it can be said that cross talk is an art with a comedy style. The humor and jokes of cross talk can help people open up their frowns, loosen wrinkles on their foreheads, stretch their constricted heart muscles, and forget the troubles in life. These humors and jokes are nurtured in the fertile soil of people's lives, and are derived from the inconsistency of daily life phenomena, the deviation between phenomena and essence, and the extreme disharmony between content and form. However, some crosstalk has no life content or social significance. It just relies on talking nonsense, making fun of people's physical defects, and it has a low-grade and vulgar tendency.