Naxi Reimei Co ( communal Dance-Song)

Naxi Reimei Co is a primal communal dance-song passed down for thousands of years; in Naxi "reimei" names a legendary spirit and "co" means to dance. First used in funeral and exorcistic rites, it is performed by men, women, old and young joining in a circle, without instruments, carried entirely by lead singer and chorus—a living survival of ancient Naxi communal life. It entered the second national ICH list in 2008.

The performers stand in a circle, one singer leading and the rest answering with the syllable "reimei," the men's and women's steps interlocking as they stamp the ground, the movement archaic and raw. The whole piece has no instruments and no fixed written rhythm, carried only by word-of-mouth accord, the singers' breath and footfall becoming the beat.

Reimei Co preserves an exceedingly ancient form of communal song and dance, of outstanding value for the study of Naxi primal religion, funeral custom and the origins of folk music and dance, a living fossil of Naxi folk culture.