Bai Music

Bai music has absorbed much of the Han classical tradition. They have maintained it faithfully in the several village orchestras that exist in the Erhai area. An ensemble includes a dozen or so stringed instruments, flutes, bass strings, gongs and drums, with performances at major festivals and when hired for weddings and other major celebrations. It plays only the classical tunes, most of them centuries old.

Opera has also attracted the Bai taste for music. They have composed many of their own and continue to do so in contemporary times. Singing reflects the operatic influence, even when the songs are not taken from Bai or Chinese operas. Several cassette tapes are on sale in Dali and most of the songs, even the non-operatic numbers, are in the Han language.

Raoshanling festival

Folk songs in the Bai language do exist, including a collection of love songs, some of them rather risque. These latter are sung by older women during the Raoshanling festival at rice-planting time. Love songs pop up spontaneously in any kind of situation, but the Bai do have a festival that features them-the Singing Contest held at Shibaoshan in the 8th lunar month.