Harmony between Heaven and Earth - An Ancient Musical Instrument Witnessing China's Glorious Music Civilization, Golden Sound and Jade Vibration Chongyang | Bronze Drum | China

Confucius said, "It thrives in poetry, stands in ceremony, and becomes in music." The ancient Eastern musical instrument, which carries a profound examination of ancient history and music history, outlines a cultural trajectory that transcends time and space for the audience.

If music is the code of civilization, then musical instruments are the solidified culture. Entering major museums in Wuhan, a rich variety of ancient music relics are waiting to be heard, becoming the best witnesses of China's splendid music civilization.

Undoubtedly known as the "head of the Eight Tones"

In the field of music and cultural relics, Zeng Houyi's chimes are undoubtedly a divine needle like existence. The "Harmony" section of the documentary "The Side Face of Chinese Music" starts with the discovery of chimes from the tombs of Marquis Yi of Zeng and Ye Jiashan, and analyzes in depth why they became the "head of the Eight Tones" in history.

Li Youping, the vice dean of Wuhan Conservatory of Music and a bell theorist who participated in the recording of the episode, told Jimu News that 2018 marks the 40th anniversary of the excavation of Zeng Houyi's bell. The creative team of CCTV Documentary Channel visited Wuhan Conservatory of Music several times that year to prepare filming materials for the "Harmony" part, and finally launched the complete program this year. "It takes four years to polish one piece, leaving a distinct mark of Jingchu on the program."

As one of the "treasures of Hubei Provincial Museum", the Zeng Houyi Bianzhong can be said to be the most familiar "national treasure" among Hubei people. According to Wan Wenwen, Executive Vice Director of Hubei Provincial Museum, the Bianzhong of Zeng Houyi was unearthed in 1978 from the tomb of Zeng Houyi in Suizhou, Hubei Province, dating back to the early Warring States period. The clock stand is 7.48 meters long and 2.65 meters high, with a total weight of over 2500 kilograms. It is truly the king of chimes.

Zeng Houyi Bianzhong

The complete set of chimes consists of 65 pieces, with a total of 3755 words of inscriptions on the chimes, bell frames, and bell hooks, covering numbering, recording, phonetic notation, and music theory. It can be considered as the earliest monograph on phonetics in China. And the most commendable thing is that this set of bells has excellent musical performance. Except for the Bo bells, all 64 bells can achieve the performance effect of "one bell with two notes". The range of the entire set of bells can span five and a half octaves, and its range is the common C major. It can play music in the fifth, sixth, or seventh tone scales, and is known as a rare treasure.

Academics agree that the discovery of the Chime Bell of Marquis Yi of Zeng has rewritten the history of world music. More scholars call the Chime Bell of Marquis Yi of Zeng and the Terra Cotta Warriors the "eighth wonder of the world".

A powerful percussion instrument

The Chongyang bronze drum, also selected as one of the top ten treasures of the provincial museum, is the earliest seen bronze drum in China and the only one preserved in China from the Shang Dynasty to the early Western Zhou Dynasty.

Chongyang Bronze Drum

Copper drum is a percussion instrument with regional characteristics. This Chongyang copper drum was discovered in Chongyang County, Hubei Province in 1977, with a total height of 75.5 centimeters. It consists of three parts: a copper drum body, a copper drum seat, and a copper drum crown. The circular imitation leather drum surface has no decorative patterns, and the drum body, base, and crown are all cast with decorative patterns such as cloud and thunder patterns and milk nail patterns popular in the late Shang Dynasty. The bronze drum has a thick and antique texture, with smooth and rough patterns. It has been described by netizens as "majestic and imposing", representing the production characteristics and level of bronze craftsmanship in the Shang Dynasty in China.

Compared with the majestic Zeng Houyi bells and the magnificent Chongyang bronze drums, the pottery bells unearthed at the Sanfangwan Site in Shijiahe, Tianmen, Hubei are much smaller and more compact. The bell body is flattened and circular, with a height of 5.4 centimeters and a diameter of 7-9.8 centimeters. The bell body is engraved with animal face patterns on both sides, and can be pronounced when tapped. According to experts, pottery bells appeared in the late Neolithic period and were able to produce two different pitches, forming the prototype of a dual tone clock. Some argue that the invention of pottery bells by our ancestors was inspired by the shape of flowers.

Tao Ling

Meeting a kindred spirit in high mountains and flowing water, the guqin should be one of the most culturally rich musical instruments in the eyes of modern people. The Warring States period relief ten stringed qin, housed in the Hubei Provincial Museum, may satisfy everyone's perfect imagination of the ancient qin.

Relief ten stringed qin

This qin was unearthed from Tomb 2, Jiuliandun, Zaoyang, Hubei. It is painted black throughout and decorated with vermilion patterns, exhibiting strong Chu cultural characteristics. It is one of the most exquisite ancient qin instruments seen from the pre Qin to Western Han dynasties to date. The qin consists of a speaker and a tailboard, with a curved panel. The head of the qin is slightly raised, the waist is concave, the tailboard is slightly raised, and there is a string column below it. According to expert analysis, the ten stringed qin still played the role of a magical tool during the Warring States period, used for communication with heaven and earth during sacrificial ceremonies.

Ancient musicians were also very skilled at playing

Looking at these ancient musical instruments, it is difficult for visitors not to imagine how ancient people played and appreciated music. The collection of grey pottery female musical figurines in Wuhan Museum has provided inspiration for many creators of film and television dramas.

Grey pottery female musical figurines

This group of female musical figurines was unearthed in a Tang Dynasty tomb in Hejialong, Wuchang District, Wuhan City. There are a total of 5 people, all of whom are seated in a seated position. Two of them play the pipa, while the other three each hold clappers, panpipes, and pipes. Among them, 4 are adult women with high buns on their hair; The other person is a girl, slightly short in stature, with a double bun hairstyle. These five individuals have full faces, solemn expressions, and upright postures, opening up a space for visitors to imagine the harmony of silk and bamboo sounds.

The collection of three colored glazed pottery camels and musical figurines in the National Museum of China better reflects the diverse development of music and dance during the Tang Dynasty. This artifact was unearthed from the Xianyulian Tomb in Xi'an, Shaanxi. It is brightly colored and famous both domestically and internationally. It showcases a band composed of three Hu people and two Han people, performing on camels.

Three colored glazed pottery with camel carrying musical figurines

It is reported that Camel Carrying Music is a hundred opera program that combines music and dance, acrobatics, and circus, and was particularly active among the people in the Tang Dynasty. According to archaeologists, the scene depicted by the three colored glazed pottery camels carrying musical figurines should be a group of hundred opera performers on the streets of Chang'an, enthusiastically showcasing their extraordinary work for the common people in the market thousands of years ago.