Naxi ancient music: Living fossil of Chinese music

When visitors walk on the old streets in Lijiang ancient town, they will definitely hear the beautiful Naxi ancient music. Naxi music is a traditional ethnic music that is regarded as a living fossil of Chinese music.

Naxi music has two parts, Baisha fine music and Lijiang Dongjing music. Baisha fine music is also named Bieshi Xieli. According to the legend, Kublai Khan who established the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), came to Lijiang and was welcomed by the leader of the Naxi ethnic group. When Kublai Khan left Lijiang, he left the Naxi group with his musicians and music. That’s the origin of Bieshi Xieli music.

Unlike most Naxi ethnic music, Lijiang Dongjing music uses Han ethnic instruments including guzheng zithers and pipa.

With several hundred years of development, Naxi ethnic music and Han ethnic music has gradually blended. In recent years, Naxi ancient music performance has attracted more and more tourists. Xuan Ke, a Chinese musician, led the Dayan orchestra to bring Naxi ancient music to different countries and regions, including England, Norway and Hong Kong. The performances have made a splash and attracted significant attention.

Edited by Michael Thai