Retired workers in Chongchuan perform with gongs and drums. [Photo/WeChat account: chongchuanonline]

The Lu Family's gongs and drums performance originated in Fuli village in Chongchuan district, Jiangsu province's Nantong, during the reign of Emperor Guangxu (1871-1908) of the Qing Dynasty.

The folk art was developed by the Lu Family which created the performance by integrating the ways of beating drums and clanging gongs in the northern and southern regions of the Yangtze River.

Retired workers in Chongchuan perform with gongs and drums. [Photo/WeChat account: chongchuanonline]

Therefore, the sound produced by Lu Family's gongs and drums features both the gentleness of the Jiangnan region and the boldness of northern Jiangsu province.

Since 2002, in addition to Lu Family members, local retired workers have joined the family to form a Lu Family's gongs and drums team. Currently, Chongchuan has three such teams consisting of members with an average age of 65.

Lu Jiayu, the seventh inheritor of Lu Family's gongs and drums performance. [Photo/WeChat account: chongchuanonline]

Lu Family's gongs and drums performance has not only become one of the first intangible cultural heritage items in Nantong, but also succeeded in being designated a provincial intangible cultural heritage item.

Senior Lu Jiayu is the seventh inheritor of the folk art, which was previously taught by way of word of mouth. To smooth the teaching and learning, Lu Jiayu has composed music for the performance and blended it with more folk art, including kuaiban, a form of Chinese traditional form of storytelling, and work songs.