Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty set up an organization whose functions included collecting ballads and music from all over the country and organizing literati to create lyrics.

During the period of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty, an organization was set up to collect folk songs and music from all over the country and organize literati to create lyrics, which was called Yuefu.

Yuefu originated in the Qin Dynasty, and the name Yuefu was adopted in the Han Dynasty. It mainly collects folk pop music, poems and songs created by literati all over the country, sorts them out, screens them and revises them for the music performances of the imperial ceremonies, banquets and various ceremonies. The main function of Yuefu in music is to collect folk music, create and sing ceremonial music of the court and the government.

The establishment of Yuefu marks that China music has entered a new historical period, that is, the period of "reading poems at night and giving instructions by Zhao, Dai, Qin and Chu", which has played an important role in promoting the prosperity of folk music and the progress of court music.

Organizational structure of Yuefu

First of all, the management of Yuefu is usually composed of officials such as Yuefu Order and Yuefu Cheng, who are responsible for formulating various policies and management regulations of Yuefu and supervising the daily operation of Yuefu. Yuefu also includes some professionals who are responsible for musical instrument performance and dance performance. They usually form a complete music and dance team with musicians or geisha.

Secondly, composers and performers of Yuefu are called musicians or geisha, and they are responsible for composing and singing all kinds of music works. Musicians or geisha are usually divided into different grades. The highest-ranking musician or geisha is called "madam" and specializes in serving the court or the government. Other levels of musicians or geisha serve different institutions or departments.