Guilin Yugu (Fisherman's Drum Ballad)

Guilin yugu is one of the most representative folk ballad arts of Guangxi, sung and spoken in the Guilin dialect and carrying a deep store of northern-Guangxi folk culture. In 2014 the State Council approved its entry into the fourth national ICH list (item number V-125) under the quyi category, declared by the city of Guilin in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Guilin yugu has two performing forms: the solo "single-drum" style in which one performer holds the drum in the left hand, beats it with the right and sings alone; and a group form of two to a dozen or more performers each holding the drum, clappers or dishes to accompany the song and speech, the melodies brisk and strongly narrative.

Guilin yugu carries the spoken-and-sung tradition and dialect art of northern Guangxi and is an important vehicle for studying the evolution of Guangxi ballad tunes and urban folklore, with outstanding value for understanding the cultural ecology of the Li River basin.