What is folk literature?

Folk literature is an academic term that appeared and became popular after the May 4th New Culture Movement. It refers to the oral tradition and writing art that people inherit, spread and enjoy in the life culture and life world. As far as genre is concerned, it includes myths, epics, folklore, folk stories, folk songs, folk narratives, folk operas, rap literature, proverbs, riddles, folk art and so on. At present, Chinese folk literature, as a self-established discipline under the first-class discipline of China language and literature, and folklore (including Chinese folk literature) under the first-class discipline of sociology coexist. At present, the research on folk literature in the world is developed in the United States, China, Japan, Finland, Germany, South Korea and Russia. China's domestic research institutions with strong research strength include Beijing Normal University, China Academy of Social Sciences, Yunnan University, Taiwan Province Normal University, Huazhong Normal University, Peking University and Shandong University.