Naxi ancient music is a type of folk music unique to the Naxi people in Lijiang area of Yunnan Province. The music is composed of three styles: Baisha Fine Music, Dongjing Music and Huangjing music, but Huangjing music has been lost. Naxi ancient music has a special charm thanks to the integration of Taoist ritual music, Confucian ceremonial music and even the ci and qu music of the Tang, Song and Yuan Dynasties.
Baisha Fine Music was composed some 700 years ago. It is a traditional music suite, the main part of which is an instrumental ensemble. It also includes singing and dancing. The music is mainly played on funerals and grand sacrificial rituals. Dongjing Music is a special genre combining Taoist music and Naxi folk music. It has miraculously retained part of ci and qu music of the Tang, Song and Yuan Dynasties that have been long lost in the central plains.
Naxi ancient music has been passed down through a set of rigorous rules and the music performers are mostly elderly musicians. The instruments used in the performance are age-old ones, such as the sugudu, crook-necked pipa, reed pipe, bamboo flute, huqin, sanxian, Chinese gong chimes, wooden fish and inverted bell etc.