Tianjin Shidiao Ballad

Tianjin shidiao is a ballad form native to the city, grown out of folk tunes popular in Tianjin since the Ming and Qing dynasties, and listed in the first batch of national ICH in 2006.

Sung in the Tianjin dialect, it is bright and full-throated, accompanied by the large three-stringed sanxian and the sihu fiddle, with tunes and rhythms that carry an unmistakable local earthiness.

Faithfully mirroring the life and feeling of Tianjin's streets, shidiao is one of the most locally distinctive of the city's ballad arts.