Yangzhou folk songs (Xupu Farmer's Songs) are a traditional music item in the second batch of representative items of Jiangsu provincial intangible cultural heritage. Farmers in Xupu rural area of Yizheng, Jiangsu Province, sing when they do farm work. They sing when planting rice, sing when drawing water, sing when pushing rakes and pulling weeds, and sing songs before carrying the load on their shoulders. The Xupu Farmer's Songs were listed as the first batch of provincial intangible cultural heritage in June 2009. It has a long history of 2,500 years. In the Spring and Autumn Period, when Wu Zixu crossed the river, there was a duet of fishermen's songs. When Wu Zixu wanted to cross the river on the run, he sought the help of a fisherman. The fisherman rowed and sang: "The sun is bright and the night has gone. Let's meet at the reed pier!" After dark, the fisherman sang again: "The sun has set and I am worried. The moon is sad and why don't I cross the river? The matter is urgent and what can I do!" During the Han Dynasty, Xupu Farmer's Songs were integrated with the easy-to-understand style of Han Fu. For example, the song goes, "Gardenias are planted against the wall, glutinous rice is cooked in Zhenjiang, the father-in-law sits in the battle and the daughter-in-law sells, the girl makes a sign in front of the door, and the little girl attracts the romantic boy." From the Sui Dynasty to the Song Dynasty, the tunes and singing content of Xupu Farmer's Songs were further enriched and developed, and they were largely integrated with the Northwest culture. Wang Anshi of the Northern Song Dynasty recorded this in "Sending Wu Zhongchun to Guard Zhenzhou." From the Yuan Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, Xupu Farmer's Songs integrated the culture of southern Jiangsu, and many southern Jiangsu dialects were included in the singing. For example, "The Second Girl's Flower Shoes Are Cleverly Made", the starting tune is "Nong Ya Lai Ai Ai Hai Yo", which has a strong southern Jiangsu flavor. Yuan Rui of the Qing Dynasty described in his poem, "Fishing Bay in the Xixi area, sometimes you can hear singing from afar. In May, the village is busy with farming, and you must know that the harvest is hard." The late Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China period was the peak period for the development of Xupu Farmers' Songs. In "Zhenzhou Bamboo Branch Poems" by Li Tizhai of the Qing Dynasty, it said: "Where in the river village is the singing echoing on the waves? The sound of the hanging song passes by the willows. The villagers are accustomed to the tune of the song. I have listened to farm songs in Xupu." The painter Chu Naifang painted "Xupu Farmers' Songs", one of the eight scenic spots in Zhenzhou, which is a true portrayal of the scene "In May, during the rice planting season, city literati and dandy young men make an appointment to go to the fields in Xipu to listen to songs. The singing is high-pitched and melodious, and one sings and the other responds, continuously." The internationally renowned scholar Sheng Cheng wrote in his poem Yi Yizheng: "Hanggou has been called Xupu since ancient times, and Chuqu Yangge is used for the fire and Nuo of the community." The famous writer Yi Mingzhu wrote in his essay Xupu Farmer's Song: "For example, the phrase 'one song, one voice' is most commonly used by Yizheng people." In the 1950s, musicians such as Yi Ren and Lu Qigui conducted research and compilation on Xupu Farmer's Songs and published the Xupu Farmer's Song Score, among which "I Love My Sister Who Can Spin" compiled by Lu Qigui was included in the Collection of Chinese Folk Music. After 2,500 years of development, the tunes of Xupu Farmer's Songs have both the euphemistic, delicate and lyrical characteristics of the south and the high-pitched, exciting and high-spirited characteristics of Jiangbei, reflecting the characteristics of cultural exchanges and integration between the north and the south. Xupu Farmer's Songs include a variety of singing forms such as Yangko, water-carrying songs, and folk tunes. The numerous tunes and rich content are widely spread and popularized in agricultural production activities. Its strong artistic charm and singing style known to all women and children have a strong social inheritance. There are more than 300 yangko songs including "Little Sister" and "It's Not Hard for Me to Sing", more than 260 water-wheeling songs including "The Sun Goes Down Darkly" and "The Big Embroidered Scented Bag", more than 400 main folk tunes including "Running Unicorn" and "Matchmaking", as well as songs for tamping, carrying loads, and carrying rakes, forming a unique system of "Xupu Farmer's Songs".