The folk song is very popular in the Lisu ethnic group, which is reflected in the saying that "Salt is indispensable in meals, and singing is indispensable in life". The folk songs are simple and impressive and they have plenty of tunes; most of the traditional dances are group dances, among which some simulate animals and some others represent the labor and life. In the daily life, Lisu people often ask questions by singing and the responders would like to answer questions by singing too, thus a tradition of loving folk song is developed by them. The annual Tangquan Song Contest in the area of Lushui, Bijiang and Yunlong is a good opportunity for the singers to show their talents, so for several days around the contest the singing keeps reverberating in the air. Among the love songs which are liked by the young people, some are traditional ones and some are improvised ones, some are long and some are short.

There are various kinds of folk songs, so men and women, old and young can all sing songs if they like. Many people like singing on their journey, hill climbing and walking, and they just sing songs at random. This kind of singing without intention can be heard in the field, on hill tops and the roads, but most of the songs share the same tune, and the only one difference between them is the speed. Some of the speed differences are expressed between words, while some others are expressed between sentences, and the difference of speed is used to express the gladness, delight, pang and sorrow in the singer' inner world. There are several different kinds of Lisu folk song, with the "mugua", "baishi" and "youye" as the major kinds.