Pingjiang folk songs are folk songs that originated and became popular in Pingjiang County, Hunan. Pingjiang is located in the northeast corner of Hunan Province, at the junction of Hunan, Hubei and Jiangxi provinces. It is an ancient fertile land and a famous general county in China. Since the Tang Dynasty, with the five population migrations in China, more than 100 surnames have been moved to Pingjiang from Jiangxi, Guangdong, Fujian and other places. The integration of populations from multiple regions has created Pingjiang's unique folk art and Pingjiang dialect, forming the language characteristics of Pingjiang's "three sounds in ten miles". In addition, the protection of the natural barrier of geographical closure has maintained the stability of Pingjiang's folk art characteristics. Pingjiang folk songs are the spiritual wealth and spiritual pillar of the people here in their long-term production and life. In 2008, Pingjiang folk songs were identified as the second batch of intangible cultural heritage list projects in Hunan Province. Pingjiang folk songs can be roughly divided into the following categories: 1. Revolutionary ballads. Pingjiang is located at the crossroads of Hunan, Hubei and Jiangxi provinces. It is connected to Changsha, the provincial capital in the west, Xiushui in Jiangxi in the east, and Tongcheng in Hubei in the north. Since the May Fourth Movement, the revolutionary movement has been in full swing. There was the shocking Pingjiang Asiatic oil landings; there were the extremely rapid peasant movements; there was the world-famous "Pingjiang Uprising" led by Comrade Peng Dehuai; there was the lively guerrilla war in the Hunan-Hubei-Jiangxi revolutionary base; there was the "Pingjiang Massacre" that shocked China and the world. The 30 years of revolutionary flames left behind a large number of precious revolutionary folk songs. 2. Folk songs. Common ones include "Pig-beating Song", "Iron-beating Song", "A River Down the Mountain", "Picking Flowers in December", "Grazing Cows", "Persuading Sisters", "How Can Old People Turn into Youths", "Ten Farewells", "Eight Immortals", "Coming to the Wheat Song", "Grazing Sheep", "Long-term Worker Song", etc. 3. Ritual Songs (Customs and Conventions). Ritual songs include "Disturbing the Bridal Chamber", "Holding Wine Around the Hall Song", "Throwing the Beam Song", "Raising the Beam", "Throwing the Beam Praise", "New Year Praise to the God of Wealth", "Liquor Song", "Circling Song", "Returning to the Mountain Song", etc. The lyrics are mostly praises, sighs, and wishes, and the tunes are simple. 4. Love songs. They express the love between men and women, reflect the persistent pursuit of freedom of marriage, and the fun of men and women joking with each other. They are tunes such as folk songs and ditties. 5. Mountain songs. Mountain songs are a kind of folk songs. Most of them are sung while working in the fields. The tunes are cheerful and simple, the rhythm is free, and the content mainly reflects labor and love. Pingjiang mountain songs are affected by the region. There are many singing styles, which can be roughly divided into: Gaoshan tune, also known as "Zhuanshanlong", and Zeyin mountain songs. The tone is high-pitched and the tone is free, which gives people a sense of excitement; Bass mountain songs, also known as "Jianban mountain songs", are a combination of singing and reciting, with melodious and graceful singing and fluent recitation; Pingqiang mountain songs, also known as field songs, have a gentle tone and a brisk melody. Singing while working can enhance the interest of work and eliminate fatigue. 6. Children's songs. Children's spoken language is used to reflect children's lives, and there are also those that reflect the times, which are called "nursery rhymes". The singing style is hummed by children or adults in a childish tone, with childishness and the ending can be extended at will. Pingjiang's more popular children's songs include: "The Old Crow Calls", "The Moonlight Shines on Pingjiang", "Tongue Twisters", "Holding Lanterns", etc. 7. Wizard Music. Wizard music is one of the folk arts in ancient Pingjiang. "Witch" refers to people who claim to be able to cure diseases by dancing. Women are called witches and men are called shamans. They are engaged in worshiping the gods of heaven and earth and fortune-telling and praying for people. During the Shang Dynasty and the old China, the witch culture was very popular in the Chu and Yue areas. The "Nine Songs" by the Chu poet Qu Yuan was transformed and processed based on this kind of music. Pingjiang belonged to Chu in ancient times, so witch songs and dances have been popular among the people for a long time. In the process of development, a kind of wizard music has gradually formed. Except for the areas of Changshou and Hongqiao, the four townships in the county are the same. Its music system is consistent with the ancient six laws and five tones. Therefore, there was a "Six Laws Association" in the county seat, and the ancestor of the industry was called Lingcang Xianshi. One song can be performed in five tunes, i.e. one positive tune and four surplus tunes, and a six-member band is formed, i.e., gong, drum, wind, string, palm, and praise. The wind tunes are generally Qingdiao, Youdiao, and Zanqi. Qingdiao can be mixed with worrying things, but Youdiao is not recommended for clear things. There are more than 300 kinds of songs in total, and the more popular ones in Pingjiang are as follows: Qingdiao, Youdiao, Zanqi, etc. Pingjiang folk songs are a simple folk art. The lyrics are closely related to the life, history, customs, and language of the local people, and truly reflect social life. They are lively and colorful in artistic style and performance form. There are many musical tunes, with beautiful melodies, fluent and smooth, and brisk rhythms. Pingjiang folk songs were generated on the ancient land of Pingjiang. Pingjiang has preserved its traditional culture and has left some ancient cultural characteristics in terms of folk customs. Among them, the Pingjiang dialect has some ancient Chinese phonetics. For example, in the dialect, "jiang" is pronounced as "gang", "ma" is pronounced as "mo", and "ren" is pronounced as "ning". The names of people: young girls are called "xiaoniang", daughters-in-law are called "dasao", and old women are called "ganniang". Pingjiang folk songs are sung in this dialect. It does not belong to the Gan language family or the Changsha language family. The tones can be roughly divided into six tones, and the intervals can be used to express the relationship between yinping, yangping, shang, yinqu, yangqu, and ru. Pingjiang folk songs are closely associated with the lives of Pingjiang people. People constantly create, improve and develop the indispensable musical forms in life to connect feelings, express love, educate evil thoughts, promote good and punish evil, inspire fighting spirit, work hard, entertain themselves, and enrich life. They have become the spiritual elements and pillars of generations of Pingjiang people. After the founding of New China, especially since the reform and opening up, Pingjiang folk songs have always been circulated in the lives of the people. It has inspired people to fight against nature and earth, work hard to start businesses, and has played an immeasurable role in helping millions of people in the old areas of Pingjiang, this ancient land, get rid of poverty and gradually embark on a rich and beautiful life. In 2008, Pingjiang folk songs were identified as the second batch of intangible cultural heritage list projects in Hunan Province. Pingjiang County Cultural Center is the main protection body of this project.