Nanguan is most popular in Quanzhou, Xiamen, and the Minnan-speaking region in general. There is an elegant simplicity about it, and a hint of reserve. Its songs are soft, beautiful, and expressive, and contrast sharply with the brash, bold northern music often heard at weddings, funerals, and other such functions. Both types of music are very popular in southern Fujian and Taiwan.
南管的主要流行地區在泉州、廈門等閩南語地區，其性格猶如文人士子一般古樸有致、內斂含蓄，唱曲委婉纏綿、綺麗多情；與源自北方樂器，性格熱鬧豪邁、經常出現在民間婚喪喜慶的北管，一文一武，皆流行於閩台地區。