Dunhuang Quzici refers to a kind of popular literature that appeared in Dunhuang of Gansu Province in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). All the content of the poems are in accordance with the musical rhythms, and can be played on orchestral instruments.

Most of the Quzici come from the life of ordinary people, and vividly reflect the contemporary society and express the people at the lowest social stratum. There are a lot of subjects about war in this art form. On the one hand, they denounce the disasters and miseries for the common people caused by war; on the other hand, they sing praise of the heroic lofty quality and indomitable death-defying spirit. Women's life and love are also important subjects. These works usually confide the voices of the oppressed and trampled women, their hope and pursuit for real love. Some of the works also reflected different fates of businessmen, travelers and employees with a strong flavor of everyday life. The language is usually easy to understand but rich in content.

Dunhuang Quzici is an integral component for the development of Chinese Ci and Qu. It carried on the style of the Yuefu Folksongs from the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD) to the Southern and Northern Dynasties Period (386-589), and blazed the trail for the prosperity of Ci in the Five Dynasties and Ten States (907-979). It played a transitional role in the development of Chinese Ci and Qu.