Naxi Classical Music

The two sets of great classical musical composition named "Baishaxili" and "Dongjing Yingyue", which have been passed down as the "Musical Legacy of the Yuan Dynasty" and the Daoist music of the Han people, are widely spread among Naxi people. Some Western experts believe that they are "typical Chinese classical music" and "symphonies of Chinese style". Lui Ju, the president of the Chinese Music Association, values them as the "living fossils of music". They have been presently systematized and published. They are the cream of the research into the Naxi-Han cultural exchange and the histories of musical instrument and religion.

The Baisha Music consists of 24 "qupai" (music tunes), all antiquated, simple and elegant in style, lofty and dynamic in character. It is said that the music originated from Kublai Khan's conquest of Yunnan when he had crossed the Golden Sand River on leather rafts, he got the help of Mailiang, the leader of the Naxi people. On his departure, he left to him half a band and the music score as a gift. This music might also be traced back to the court music of the Song Dynasty. Through the influence of generations it contains some elements of the Naxi musical language. The "sugudu", an ancient Mongolian musical instrument, as used in the performance of the Baisha music is a corrupted pronunciation of the Mongolian musical instrument "hebusi". At present Lijiang still keeps a "sugudu" handed down from that time, while none of the ancient "hebusi" can be found among the Mongolians in the north.