Musicology Annotation << Back On the Origins of Chinese Folk Songs Tang Haichuan The article describes the origins of the Chinese folk song. Chinese folk song originated at an early stage in the emergence of Chinese music. Chinese music has been known historically since the beginning of Chinese civilization with documents and artifacts testifying to a well-developed musical culture in the Zhou Dynasty (1122 BC–256 BC). The origins of Chinese music can be dated back to ancient times. So, in the Zhou Dynasty, people created verses instead of songs. The origins of the Chinese folk song were tribal dances, songs, as well as various ritual forms in the rites that existed about 4 thousand years ago. With the beginning of the Confucian era, musical instruments appeared that were used in Chinese folk songs. Chinese folk song began to emerge after the emergence of musical notes. The earliest works of Chinese poetry appeared during the Western Zhou Dynasty, which presumably ruled from 1046 to 770 BC. A collection of 305 poetic works reflects the diverse manifestations of spiritual and social life throughout this period and up to the middle of the Spring and Autumn (770 BC). Keywords: history of China, Chinese folk song, history of Chinese folk song, songs of China, the origins of Chinese songs. DOI: 10.25791/musicology.01.2020.1107 Contacts: - Pp. 43-46.