Singing has a long history in China, but traditionally people did not stray far from home and kept to their own dialects and local songs. The cultured elite had classical Chinese music to listen to, while others preferred popular folk songs or their high-brow equivalents.
中國人唱歌的歷史雖早，卻因古人安土重遷，限於方言及習慣，各唱各的山野小調；上層社會也有合於身分地位的雅樂可聽，下里巴人和陽春白雪，各自嘹繞於喜好者的口中。