Chuan Jiang Haozi, the work songs sung by boatmen of various nationalities living along the Chuan Jiang River, emerge with the rise of the shipping industry. Now they have a history of thousands of years. According to the size of the watercourse, Haozi can be divided into Great River Haozi and Small River Haozi. It can be classified into Tense Haozi, and Soothing Haozi based on different river reaches; it can also be separated into Upstream Haozi and Downstream Haozi in accordance with the sailing direction. These kinds of Haozi can still be reclassified, forming the musical culture of Chuanjiang River System with dozens of types and over one thousand songs. As the song of life sung by boatmen with sweat, blood, and desperate struggle, it is time-honored, diversified, passionate, and sonorous. It is led by one labor singer and accompanied by boatmen. In 1987, Chen Banggui and other boatmen sang the Chuanjiang Haozi on the Concert of World Great Rivers Chorus, which was organized by France. The global audiences were impressed, and the media praised that it could rival the world-renowned The Song of The Volga Boatmen.

Research on Chuanjiang Haozi will help enrich and develop the musical culture of the Chinese river system and even that of the world river system.

In May 2006, the State Council of the P.R.C. approved listing Chuanjiang Haozi (Chongqing) among the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage.

Municipal-level representative inheritors: Chen Banggui, Tan Xuefa, Cao Guangyu, Li Deqing, Wu Xiulan