In the Western world, when the orchestra strikes up its first song, a formal occasion starts. Almost 3,000 years ago in China, the noble class also recruited a band to liven up their parties. One of their instruments is a set of bells of Wangsun Gao. They are percussion musical instruments excavated from a tomb in Xichuan, Central China’s Henan province in 1978 and now in the permanent collection of the Henan Museum.
It is a set of 26 clapperless bronze bells, all of which are inscribed with ancient Chinese characters. They are designed in the same shape but in gradual sizes to produce varied chords.
Exhibition
Young imaginations on vibrant display
Exhibition
Louvre exhibits show influence of China