Buyi Eight-Tone Seated Singing

Buyi Eight-Tone Singing is a unique Buyi folk music form named for the eight instruments used—including ox-bone fiddle, bamboo-tube zither, xiao flute, moon lute and skin drum—formed during the Ming and Qing and long transmitted across Buyi communities in Guizhou.

Performances feature eight to a dozen performers seated in a circle, each playing one instrument and singing simultaneously; lyrics draw on Buyi mythology, historical tales and everyday scenes, with graceful and reflective melodies.

Inscribed in 2006 on the first national ICH list, Buyi Eight-Tone Singing is the most representative living heritage of Buyi musical culture and holds significant value for ethnomusicology.

Eight-Tone Singing performances appear at festivals and cultural events in Buyi communities in and around Guiyang; cultural venues in the city also organize regular showcases.