The
music of Yunnan, a
province in southwestern
China, includes the tradition music of many
ethnic groups, including the
Miao,
Hani and
Nakhi (Naxi), the last being the most numerous in the area.
The
lusheng is a type of
mouth organ used by the Miao of
Guizhou for
pentatonic antiphonal courtship songs. The Hani of
Honghe are known for a unique kind of choral, micro-tonal rice-transplanting songs.
Nakhi music
The
Nakhi of
Lijiang play a type of song and dance suite called
baisha xiyue, which was supposedly brought by
Kublai Khan in
AD 1253. Nakhi
dongjing is an ancient type of music related to southern Chinese forms, and is popular today. Both these styles are quite old, which has led Nakhi music to be called a "living fossil" of
Chinese music. In addition to donjiang and baisha xiyue, a style called
huangjing yinyue also has an ancient history in the area, but is no longer known.
Nakhi musicians
Baisha xiyue
Supposedly introduced to the Nakhi by
Kublai Khan when he conquered the
Kingdom of Dali and received help from a Nakhi leader named Mailiang, basha xiyue is performed by orchestras. There are 24 simple, energetic
qupai (tunes) in use.
Dongjing
Main article: Dongjing Dongjing uses a type of traditional
musical notation called
gongchepu. There are traditional dongjing operas, such as
Song of the Water Dragon,
Waves Washing the Sands and
The Sheep on the Hill.
Dongjing is a type of ritual music, said to have been sung by
Taoist monks in the area. It was introduced at least by the
AD 13th century, and is now known only in Yunnan and the distant city of
Chengde (in
Hebei) and
Chifeng (in
Inner Mongolia). Dongjing is traditional performed during the
Chinese Lunar New Year. The President of the
Dayan Naxi Ancient Music Association, Xuan Ke, has claimed that donjiang originated from the religious and imperial music of the
Tang and
Song dynasties . (thus placing its origins between 618 and 1279). This same period saw the developed of
ci poetry, which accompanied music led by
stringed instruments.
By the 1980s, dongjing had mostly died out. It has since been revived, however, and its popularity among the younger generation is rebounding, especially in
Chuxiong,
Lijiang,
Baoshan,
Dali and
Kunming. The
Dayan Naxi Ancient Music Association was formed in 1987 to help revive donjiang. Renowned modern performers include
Peng Youshan and
Lei Hong'an.
