Great Compendium of Chinese Musical Cultural Relics: Beijing Volume

Author: Chief Editor: Yuan Quanyou
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1999-10-01
Features: Excerpt: Figure 1.1.1 Jiahu Bone Flute 1. Jiahu Bone Flute Era: Neolithic Age Location: Chinese History Museum Archaeological Materials Discovered in 1986 at the Jiahu Site in Wuyang, Henan. Transferred to the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics in 1989. The Jiahu Site belongs to the early stage of the Peiligang culture of the Neolithic Age, approximately 8,000 years old. The bone flute (T23M78:1) is made of the ulna of a crane, with seven holes. The body is a long, thin tube with an irregular circular cross-section at the ends, slightly upturned and thicker at one end. The total length is 24 cm, the hole spacing is 1.6–1.7 cm, and the hole diameter is 0.3 cm. The surface is smooth, and the craftsmanship is exquisite. Marks for marking the positions of the holes before drilling can be seen on the holes and above them, proving that the bone flutes were made with relatively precise calculations. Musical Performance When unearthed, the flutes were broken at both ends and divided into three sections, but were later repaired and glued together, making them unsuitable for playing. However, based on the testing of another bone flute (M282:20) from the same batch, it is known that these flutes were vertical flutes with good quality sound and already had a scale structure, capable of playing melodies. These bone flutes are the earliest musical instruments discovered in China to date (see "The Great Series of Chinese Musical Archaeological Materials: Henan Volume"). Bibliography ① Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics: "Brief Report on the Second to Sixth Excavations at the Jiahu Neolithic Site in Wuyang, Henan," Cultural Relics, 1989, Issue 1. ② Huang Xiaopeng: "Acoustic Research on the Jiahu Bone Flutes," Cultural Relics, 1989, Issue 1. 2. Hemudu Bone Whistle (6 pieces) Era: Neolithic Age Location: Chinese History Museum Archaeological Materials Discovered in 1973–1974 at the Hemudu Site in Yuyao, Zhejiang. Transferred to the Zhejiang Provincial Museum in 1980. The bone whistles were found in the fourth cultural layer of the Hemudu Site, with a total of 45 pieces unearthed, of which six are shown here, dating back to approximately 6,000–7,000 years ago. Form and Decoration The bone whistles are made from the middle sections of bird limbs, with lengths varying from 6.1 to 11.8 cm. They are hollow, long, thin tubes with irregular circular cross-sections. The surface is smooth, and the body is slightly curved, with one circular or elliptical sound hole drilled on each side of the convex curve at both ends. Musical Performance At that time, these whistles may have been used to produce sounds during hunting to attract birds and animals. Bibliography Zhejiang Provincial Committee for the Administration of Cultural Relics and Zhejiang Provincial Museum: "Excavation Report on the Hemudu Site," Archaeological Journal, 1978, Issue 1. 3. Miaodigou Era: Neolithic Age Location: Chinese History Museum Archaeological Materials Discovered in 1956 at Miaodigou, Shanyang, Henan. Transferred to the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1959. This was unearthed from the Yangshao culture layer of the Neolithic Age at the Miaodigou Site. The age is approximately 3,900 years ago. Form and Decoration This bell is made of fine red clay and handcrafted, with a polished surface. One side of the body is nearly half broken, and the other side is slightly damaged. The body is small at the top and large at the bottom, hollow, with a flat mouth and an elliptical shape. It has a flat cylindrical shank with one small hole on each side, leading to the belly, possibly for hanging. 4. Doumen Town Era: Neolithic Age Location: Chinese History Museum Archaeological Materials Discovered in 1955 at Doumen Town Site in Chang'an, Shaanxi. Transferred to the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1959. The Doumen Town Site belongs to the Longshan culture of Shaanxi, with an age of approximately 2,300–2,000 BC. Form and Decoration The is made of gray clay. The body is short and wide, rectangular in shape, with an approximate elliptical cross-section. The belly is hollow, with slightly thin front and back walls and slightly thick side walls. The lower mouth is flat. The shank is cylindrical and solid, thick at the top and thin at the bottom, with a circular top. The musical performance is flat, with one round hole on each side at the connection between the shank and the body, possibly for hanging. Total height 12.5 cm, shank length 5.6 cm, lower mouth length 9.4 cm, lower mouth width 5.3 cm, thickness 0.4–1.0 cm. Bibliography Li Chunyi: Draft of the History of Ancient Chinese Music, Volume IV, "Four, Musical Instruments of the Primitive and Xia Dynasties, Bells," Music Publishing House, 1958 edition. Postscript: Postscript After the hard work of all comrades, The Great Series of Chinese Musical Archaeological Materials: Beijing Volume has finally been completed and printed. First of all, I would like to thank the strong support and cooperation of all museums, especially the Palace Museum and the Chinese History Museum, under the leadership of Vice Director Yang Xin and Vice Director Du Yaoxi, and under the leadership and arrangement of comrades such as Gao He, Lü Changsheng, and Fan Shimin, who organized the staff of various departments and groups to provide musical artifacts, assist in photography, acoustic testing, and writing descriptions in their busy schedules for this volume. Musical artifacts in the Beijing area were collected by Wu Menglin under his leadership and arrangement. The musical carvings on the tower bases of the stupas were included after Wu Menglin and Wu Yuanzhen visited the suburbs and took photographs. In order to strive to achieve the requirements of rich and accurate content, the workload of the authors has been increased, especially comrades such as Wang Haiven, Qi Yuankuan, Ma Xiuyin, and Sheng Yuwei, who for several years, without tireless effort, verified the actual artifacts and supplemented and revised the descriptions. This spirit of striving for excellence and meticulous attention to detail is moving. There are also many comrades who have done a lot of hard work that can only be understood by being on the spot. For example, to take photos and conduct acoustic tests, it was necessary to open large display cabinets or move heavy artifacts out of the warehouse. Every action required the participation of many people, working together with great care and caution, to ensure that the tasks were completed safely and successfully. One Han Dynasty relief brick and one Tang Dynasty mirror were lent by Mr. Fu Dawei for handcrafted rubbings. Two Han Dynasty were lent by Mr. Ji Hongzhang for handcrafted impressions to seal clay seals, making the original images clearer and adding color to this volume. To enrich the content of the Song Dynasty Daxiong Bell, thanks to the strong assistance of Librarians Yang Renkai and Xu Bingkun, the photos and rubbings of the Daxiong Nanlü Zhongsheng Bell from the Liaoning Provincial Museum were generously provided. All the ancient qins in this volume have been reviewed and appraised by Mr. Zheng Minzhong and descriptions have been written for all pieces except those in the Chinese History Museum. In the autumn of 1993, I visited Taipei and the History Museum. Thanks to the introduction of Mr. Huang Yongchuan, I confirmed that only the second piece of the Bianbo unearthed in Xinzheng was in Taiwan. Later, with the assistance of Mr. Zhao Shigang of the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and other comrades of the Henan Provincial Museum, I finally located one piece of the Bianbo unearthed in Xinzheng in 1923 and one piece of the Bianbo unearthed in Huixian Liuguo Jia Tomb in 1936. Recently, the review of the measurement data analysis of the bells has been completed thanks to the guidance of comrades Cui Xian and Zhang Zhen. The writing of this volume, from the beginning to the completion, every stage and every detail, has been warmly guided by Mr. Wang Shiming of the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. I sincerely thank all the above comrades! The musical artifacts in Beijing are extremely rich and cannot be included in one volume. And limited by ability, omissions and inappropriate selections are inevitable. Correcting errors and supplementing deficiencies all depend on future generations! Yuan Quanyou completed the draft in May 1993, and revised and supplemented in the autumn of 1995.