Xuzhou Qinshu (Story-Singing)

Xuzhou qinshu is a folk storytelling-and-singing art popular in and around Xuzhou, using the dulcimer as its lead accompaniment and drawing on local dialect and folk tunes; it entered the second national ICH list in 2008 under quyi (project code Ⅴ-73).

Its performance is backed by dulcimer, zhui fiddle and clappers, with one or several performers playing and singing themselves; the tunes draw on named melodies such as Fengyang Ge and Siping Diao, while the spoken passages use Xuzhou dialect, and the subjects are drawn from everyday stories and historical romances, lively and close to the audience.

Xuzhou qinshu represents the storytelling art of northern Jiangsu, carrying the city's dialect art and oral-narrative tradition and widely beloved, with real value for studying how northern quyi spread into the Huaihe region.