OE9mWp1R97- China Science August 29, 2023 The chime bells are well preserved, without any signs of looting, and the wooden frame is clearly visible,” Yu explained, adding that the frame can be “dated back to the middle and late Spring and Autumn Period”.Ī total of 24 well-preserved Chinese bianzhong (chime bells) in two sets from the Spring and Autumn period (770-476 BC) were unearthed in the ruins of Ancient Capital City of the Zheng and Han States in Xinzheng, C China's Henan, a rare discovery of significant academic value. “There are three rows of bell frames in the pit, with a total of 24 chime bells. Yu Jie, a staff member at the Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, said that the bianzhong sacrificial pit at the site is 2.6 meters long from east to west, 1.4 meters wide from north to south, and 0.8 meters deep. “Music is strongly linked to rituals, and in ancient China, it played an important part in the ritual and music system to maintain social order,” Guan explained. The discovery will help experts to examine cultural development in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period,” Guan added. “The bianzhong were used at the kingdom palace as part of the ritual system. “The bianzhong symbolizes rank and power, and represents a high achievement in both the art and culture of ancient China,” Guan Ping, a Beijing-based historian, told the Global Times. Photo shows bronze chime bells excavated from a tomb of the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC) in Suizhou City, central China’s Hubei Province. They are also known as “One bell, two sounds”. This special shape gives Bianzhong bells the remarkable ability to produce two different musical tones, depending on where they are struck. They have a lens-shaped (rather than circular) section, a distinctive “cutaway” profile on the bell mouth, and 36 studs or bosses symmetrically placed around the body in four groups of nine on the outer surfaces of the large bells. They were hung in a wooden frame and struck with a mallet.Īlthough tuned bells have been created and used in many cultures for musical performances, Bianzhong are unique among all other types of cast bells in several ways. These sets of chime bells were used as polyphonic musical instruments. This rare discovery of significant academic value was found in a sacrificial pit near the ruins of a palace.īianzhong are an ancient Chinese musical instrument consisting of a set of bronze bells, played melodically. A total of 24 well-preserved Chinese bianzhong (chime bells) in two sets from the Spring and Autumn period (770-476 BC) were unearthed in the ruins of Ancient Capital City of the Zheng and Han States in Xinzheng, Central China’s Henan.
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