Haimen folk songs are especially rich in content, involving all social aspects. These folk songs reflect the social lives of labor people at that time at all levels, including material, spirit, and policy, serving as a true portrayal of human lives at that time and place. Haimen folk songs are composed by lively language filled with interest and its melodious music is pure and sweet. According to its characteristics, Haimen folk songs can be divided into two kinds, one of the types is the ballad folk songs known as “short folk songs”. Such kind of songs is most impromptu works made up during people’s labor work or rest. Lyrics are of four, six or eight lines and sentences mainly consists seven words. There are also long sentences of dozens of words, with contents often reflecting the labor lives and love stories between men and women. Another kind of folk songs are narrative songs, called “long folk songs”. Lyrics contain dozens or hundreds of sentences, containing complete plots, lively human characters and rich thoughts and feelings.

Haimen folk song performance [Photo/news.jstv.com]

[Photo/thepaper.cn]