Originally called "Lotus Documents", also known as "Plowshare Documents", it was named Ningbo Zou Shu in 1956. It was formed in the rural areas of Yuyao during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty (1875-1908), and spread to the urban area of Ningbo in the late Qing Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty, and then expanded to Zhenhai and Zhoushan areas. In the 1950s and 1960s, it was sung in a wide area. In addition to Ningbo and Zhoushan, it was also sung in Linhai, Tiantai, Huangyan and Hangzhou in Taizhou. It began to decline in the early 1990s. Ningbo Zou Shu was originally called "Lotus Documents", also known as Plowshare Documents, and was named Ningbo Zou Shu in 1956. It originated around the Tongzhi and Guangxu periods. It was popular in Ningbo and the Zhoushan Islands. It was quite popular in the mid-1930s. In the 1950s and 1960s, it was sung in a wide area. In addition to Ningbo and Zhoushan, it was also sung in Linhai, Tiantai, Huangyan and Hangzhou in Taizhou. It began to decline in the early 1990s. The lyrics of Ningbo Zou Shu are in Ningbo dialect, with both speaking and singing, supplemented by body movements, and the performance is full of life. It is very popular in rural areas, and there is a saying that "clerks sing in the hall, and Zou Shu sings in the farm." The basic tunes commonly used in Ningbo Zou Shu include Siping Tune, Ma Tou Tune, Fu Tune, etc. The four-stringed huqin is the main instrument, and there are also instruments such as pipa and daqin. The accompanist sometimes helps the main singer, sings along and dialogues, which is a unique style of quyi singing. There are a small number of folk professional artists who perform this kind of music (most of them are semi-professional artists), and some accomplished old artists are already in their seventies. Nearly 30 traditional songs are on the verge of being lost. According to the artists, it first flowed in from Shangyu (Note: There is another saying that it was formed in the rural areas of Yuyao during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, and spread to the urban areas of Ningbo in the late Qing Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty, and then expanded to Zhenhai and Zhoushan areas.) At that time, there were several tenants who sang and sang in the fields to entertain themselves and eliminate fatigue. Later, they developed from singing small songs to singing fragments with story plots, and gathered a few people to sing in the drying yard or in front of the hall during the cool summer nights or winter leisure time. There are also some people who go out to sing during festivals to earn some "extra money". There were no musical instruments at that time, only a pair of bamboo boards and a bamboo root, and the beat and melody were also very simple. During the Guangxu period, this form of singing was popular in the rural areas of Yuyao. Later, some farmers, hawkers and handicraftsmen in Yuyao who engaged in quyi singing during the slack season set up an "Hangyu Society" organization to frequently exchange singing experiences and study quyi bibliography. Among them, there is an old man named Xu Shengchuan, who absorbed the tunes of Shaoxing Lianhualuo and took the lead in using the accompaniment of Yueqin, playing and singing by himself, which was very popular among the masses. Under his influence, many artists also used various musical instruments for accompaniment, and introduced many tunes from Siming Nanci, Ningbo Tanhuang, and local folk songs, and modified and applied them. At the same time, there was also development in the bibliography, and some long works such as "Four Fragrances", "Jade Link", "Double Pearl Phoenix", "Contract Paper", "Red Robe", and "Green Robe" appeared. The scope of singing activities also gradually expanded to Ningbo, Zhoushan, and Taizhou. The performance form of Ningbo Zou Shu can be divided into three stages of development: at the beginning, it was "sitting and singing" by one person playing and singing by himself; later, there was a simple accompaniment, the actor sat behind the middle of the table, the band sat beside the table, the actor performed behind the table, and the movement was small, which was called "inside Zou Shu"; later, the actor and the band sat opposite each other on the side, and the actor had a larger space on the stage to perform in circles, which was called "outside Zou Shu". At that time, the performance of Yinxi Xie Baochu, the singing of Chengli Duan Desheng, and the martial arts of Cibei Mao Quanfu were all famous and influential among the masses. As the Lianhua Wenshu developed from sitting and singing to standing up and playing roles, the actors' movements on the stage became larger, and the name of walking books came from this. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Ningbo walking books have undergone many reforms and innovations. In terms of performance, it has developed into a double file of men and women, and the power of accompaniment has also been strengthened. The commonly used tunes of Ningbo walking books are Siping tune, Matou tune, and Fu tune, commonly known as the "old three gates". Sometimes, Huanhun tune, Ci tune, Erhuang tune, Sandun tune, Sanwuqi tune, etc. are also used. "Siping tune" is generally used as the beginning of a book, and the last sentence is often sung by the orchestra. "Fu tune" is divided into tight, medium, and slow according to the content, plot, and character. For example, the slow Fu tune has a slow rhythm and the melody is mainly descending, which is often used for narration or recollection such as lamentation. According to the artists, "Matou Tune" was transformed from Mongolian folk tunes. "Santon" has a fast rhythm and high melody, and is mostly used when the characters are excited or the plot is urgent. Among the instruments used to accompany the singing of Zou Shu, the four-stringed huqin is the main and indispensable instrument, which is also the unique style of Ningbo Zou Shu music. Other instruments include erhu, yueqin, yangqin, pipa and sanxian. Although she is a city dweller, Shen Jianli, who is in her early 40s, always likes to go to the countryside. She and her husband have been singing Ningbo Zou Shu for more than 20 years. They are quite famous in the towns and villages of Ningbo and even Zhoushan. "We make a living by singing Zou Shu, which is similar to folk artists!" Shen Jianli said. She could sing Yue Opera at the age of 12. At the age of 18, she followed a master who sang Zou Shu in the village for more than two months and learned Zou Shu. In the following years, the couple personally experienced the dazzling page of Ningbo Zou Shu. "At that time, there were many places to listen to Zou Shu in the city. There was a storytelling venue on the side of Rainbow North Road. The seats for more than 200 people were always full, and many people squeezed outside the door to watch. There was also a vegetable market next to it. Vegetable farmers brought lunch boxes when they came to sell vegetables in the morning. After the vegetables were sold, they had to wait until the afternoon to listen to Zou Shu before going back. In the countryside, almost every village had a stage to sing Zou Shu. We also went to the market, singing in this village in the afternoon and in that village in the evening. People listened to it with interest, and we sang vigorously." In the mind of Chen Bingyao, a researcher at the Municipal Art Museum, Zou Shu at that time can be described as "many": there were many storytelling venues, not counting those in the countryside, there were more than 20 in the urban area alone; there were many people singing Zou Shu, there were more than 50 groups of actors in Yin County alone, and there were even more people who loved to listen. During this period, Zou Shu went beyond Ningbo, crossing Qiantang in the north, Yandang in the south, and Zhoushan Island in the east. In Yin County, more than 20 groups of Zou Shu artists performed in towns and villages, and some people described it as "Zou Shu sounds in every village, and people listening to Zou Shu in every village." The income comparison may also reflect the extent of the popularity of Zou Shu at that time. During the Spring Festival, Shen Jianli and his wife could earn more than 400 yuan from singing, while the average monthly salary at that time was only more than 40 yuan. A few years ago, the couple bought a house and their children are now in college. There have been two small booms in the development of Zou Shu in Ningbo. In the early days of liberation, a folk art improvement association was established and a large number of works were created. In 1964, the traditional storytelling was changed to modern storytelling, and Zou Shu was sung on the radio.