Baisha xiyue (, literally "Baisha fine music") is one of the two surviving forms of traditional
music of the
Naxi (also spelled Nakhi or Nahi) people of
Lijiang,
Yunnan Province,
China, known as "Naxi ancient music".
Baisha is a town located ten kilometres north of Lijiang, and was the capital of the independent Naxi kingdom before it was annexed by the
Yuan Empire in 1271.
Baisha xiyue is a classical orchestral musical form, with 24
qupai (tunes), played on antique Chinese musical instruments, such as
flute,
shawm,
Chinese lute, and
zither. It is derived from the ritual music of
Taoist and
Confucian ceremonies from the 14th century. Since Lijiang is relatively remote, the music form has survived relatively unchanged since that period. The music is characterised by the "three olds" – old melodies, old instruments and old musicians.
The other surviving form of Naxi ancient music is the
Han derived
dongjing yinyue ("cave scripture music"), which has its roots in
Taoist and
Buddhist ritual music. A third form of Naxi ancient music,
huangjing yinyue, has not survived. Traditional Naxi music has been described as the
living fossil of
Chinese music. The city of Lijiang is itself a
World Heritage Site.
Category:Chinese folk musicfi:Baisha wiyue
