Zhoushan residents in East China's Zhejiang province play gongs and drums. [Photo/WeChat account: zjzsqdxq]

Zhoushan luogu (gongs and drums) has been included in the program list for the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022, which is scheduled to be held from Sept 23 to Oct 8, officials of the organizing committee of the Games announced on Feb 19.

Zhoushan luogu won the gold medal for folk music at the World Youth Festival in Moscow in 1957 and was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage item in 2006.

In ancient times, it was most often played at ceremonies, such as weddings, funerals, temple fair celebrations, and to accompany sacrificial offerings to the sea by fishermen.

Zhoushan luogu involves a combination of musical instruments, among which the primary ones are a gong-line, consisting of 13 gongs, and a drum-line, consisting of five drums. It has a very unique style, with various unusual sounds and contrasting volume.

Representative pieces of Zhoushan luogu music include Zhoushan luogu, Baxian Xu (Story of the Eight Immortals), Yujia Le (Fun fishing family), Sha Diao (Sand tune), and Chao Yin (Sound of tides), which have been compiled into the Chinese National and Folk Instrumental Music Collection - Zhejiang Section, with many other pieces having been made into records.