Naamyam

Naamyam (Chinese: 南音; Jyutping: naam4 jam1; pinyin: nányīn; lit. "southern tunes") is a unique local narrative singing tradition in Cantonese in the form of rap-like rhyme, which is different from the nanguan (lit. "southern pipes") tradition originating from Southern Fujian. Naamyam is originated in the Pearl River Delta in the late Qing Dynasty and was very popular in Hong Kong, Canton, Macau and other Cantonese-speaking areas. A singer was traditionally accompanied by one or more string instruments such as the zheng (bridge zither with 16 metal strings) and yehu (2-stringed vertical fiddle with coconut-shell resonator and wooden soundboard).

Naamyam in a broad sense refers to Cantonese tunes, including Dei Seoi Naamyam (地水南音, lit. “earth and water” Naamyam), Hei Kuk Naamyam (戲曲南音, lit. Opera Naamyam), Lou Geoi Naamyam (老舉南音, lit. Prostitute Naamyam).