Explore Zhangjiajie in Folk Customs: Sangzhi Folk Songs

Sangzhi, a fertile ground for national culture, has created colorful intangible cultural heritages. Sangzhi folk songs serve as a cultural brand or a cultural calling card for Sangzhi County, facilitating external publicity and exchanges. In 2006, Sangzhi folk songs were included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage items.

Sangzhi folk songs are primarily performed in the Sangzhi dialect, which features distinctive retroflex sounds. They are divided into mountain songs, minor tunes, etiquette songs, and Nuo opera, covering a variety of genres of traditional folk songs. Its rigorous musical structure and diverse genres, especially the use of auxiliary words, make the folk songs reach a certain artistic height in terms of heightening atmosphere and revealing the inner emotions of the characters.

In 2021, Wudaoshui Town, known for its Sangzhi folk songs, was proudly designated as the "Hometown of Chinese Folk Culture and Art" for 2021-2023 period. It was also included in the model case list of the "Hometown of Chinese Folk Culture and Art" by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism as one of the three exemplary cases in Hunan Province.

The photos were provided by the Publicity Department of the CPC Sangzhi County Committee.