BEIJING, June 23 (Xinhua) -- China will hold a native folk song festival in southwest China's Yunnan Province in late July, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

The festival, co-hosted by the ministry and the provincial government of Yunnan, is scheduled to take place in Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan between July 21 and 25, said the ministry.

The festival will consist of a number of events including folk song performances and seminars on the preservation and development of folk songs in China.

The ministry is now soliciting programmes to be performed during the festival, encouraging regional cultural departments to nominate their best folk song artists to perform at the festival before July 1.

China boasts a wide array of native folk music that constitutes an important part of the country's traditional culture. Many native folk music genres that passed down through generations among ethnic minority groups have entered China's list of national intangible cultural heritage.