Jiaodong Large Drum (Qushu)

Jiaodong large drum is a quyi storytelling-and-singing form popular across the Jiaodong peninsula of Shandong, including the Qingdao area, developed from local folk balladry and the traditions of blind performers, with a long history and strong rural character.

A single performer beats a drum and clappers while singing, using them to keep the rhythm and weaving speech with song to narrate long stories and folk themes—plain in melody, strong in beat and flavoured by the Jiaodong dialect.

Jiaodong large drum is a national-level item of intangible cultural heritage and an important representative of Jiaodong quyi, preserving the region's storytelling art and oral narrative tradition and reflecting folk life and taste.

It can be enjoyed at quyi performances, folk events and cultural-venue showcases in Qingdao and the Jiaodong region, kept alive by local artists and designated tradition-bearers.