Naxi Music

In her article “‘Authenticity’ and the Foreign Audience for Traditional Music in Southwest China,” Professor Helen Rees describes foreigners’ fascination with “ancient Naxi music.” However, she argues that this music is not as “ancient” as it is marketed to the audience. Her argument is based on the fact that the music presented in the famous concerts is not the same as the one performed in ancient times. The Naxi music that was played in the early1900s was mostly religious and it would take “three or more days to perform an entire scripture.” Due to political reasons, the Naxi had to stop playing this music for some time, and when it revived it was all secular. Thus, the music that is presented today is not the ancient religious Naxi music that was played at the beginning of the 20th century, but a secular type of music where no religious rituals take place.