In "Introduction to Folk Songs" published by People's Music Publishing House, Professor Song Daneng from Sichuan Conservatory of Music concluded: "The Lishui boatman's chant in Li County, Hunan is a very famous and representative sailing chant. , its artistic style is unique, its local colors are distinctive, and its structure is complete." The Lishui boatman's chant has two types of sentences: seven-character and five-character. Usually one person leads the chant and everyone sings in chorus. It is majestic, vigorous and powerful.
In particular, the three singing styles of adagio, flat and presto have their own characteristics, which can effectively portray the perseverance, bravery and hard-working character and temperament of rowers when sailing, and vividly express the boatmen's performance in different environments. The scenes when engaged in pole-raising, rowing, and fiber-drawing under various conditions have left a deep and unforgettable impression on people and have always been loved by the broad masses of the people.
The theme of Lishui Boatmen’s Chant reflects the hard life and labor scenes of the boatmen. Although it is relatively popular, it is heroic and full of artistic charm. For example, "The sun fills the sky with red, and the boatman's clothes are wet with sweat."
In addition, there are also chants specially sung for ship owners and onlookers, such as "The dark clouds in the mountains are coming soon, stretching is like crossing a flyover, the muddy road is slippery and difficult to walk, sweat and rain flow into troughs", " The wind blows to the bend of the river, and Brother Qing sends me a message asking for some shoes." and so on. Its singing forms are divided into three different styles: singing while rowing against the current and hauling cargo, or singing by pulling the fiber. Casual singing, after the boat docks at the dock, the boatmen shout out their own songs, mostly for their own entertainment, and between men and women, they use the song to express their love. For stage performances and singing, usually based on the keynote of the boatman's chant, new boatman's chants are created and participated in various cultural activities.