Naxi Baisha Xiyue ( Baisha Elegant Music)

Naxi Baisha Xiyue, called "Benshi Xili" in Naxi (also "Bieshi Xili" or "the parting gift"), is a classical suite of music combining instruments, voice and dance, said to have been composed to mourn the warriors of the Beng tribe who fell on the old battlefield of Baisha. Centred on Lijiang's Gucheng District, it entered the third national ICH list in 2011 and is hailed as a living fossil of Chinese classical music.

Baisha Xiyue is played by an ensemble of flute, reed-pipe, huqin, zheng and sugudu, with singing and simple dance; its melodies are mournful and lingering, its structure strict, the full suite unfolding in several movements. Passed down by ear across generations, it preserves much ancient musical information, a precious sample for tracing the sources of Chinese traditional music.

Blending native Naxi music with incoming traditions, Baisha Xiyue carries the memory of ethnic exchange and holds major value for the study of Chinese classical music, cross-ethnic musical exchange and Naxi ritual culture.

Baisha Xiyue can be heard at several inheritance halls in Lijiang's old town and at practice venues in Baisha ancient town.