The chime is the oldest stone percussion instrument and ritual vessel in the history of our country. It can be divided into a single special chime and a series of chimes arranged according to the rules and regulations. A single special chime is generally used as a signal instrument for clans in ancient my country to "call to gather the crowd". The chimes are played together with the chimes during grand ceremonies such as ancestral temple sacrifices and clan feasts.

The Chinese nation is known as a land of etiquette. In ancient times when etiquette was strict, musical instruments made of Lingbi rock have become symbols of imperial power and etiquette.

In the Qin, Han, Wei and Jin dynasties, the chime instrument gained a prominent position among ancient musical instruments. People in the Qin and Han Dynasties who advocated etiquette believed that the chime instrument had a very high status. The chime instrument was not only revered as a treasure by the emperors, but also loved and praised by the literati of this period.

In the Wei and Jin Dynasties, Buddhism was introduced into our country, and the chime instrument began to become religious, and the Yun Chime was born.

The Yun Chime, also known as the "Yin Chime", is a percussion instrument. Its appearance is the same as that of a sitting chime in the shape of an alms bowl. It is very small. The body of the chime is made of copper and looks like a wine cup. The mouth of the chime is only 7 cm in diameter. , placed on the top of a long wooden handle, with a total length of about 35 cm. The wooden handle is decorated with stripes.

Yunqing is a magical instrument used in temples and is also used in religious music. When playing the Yunqing

you need to hold the lower end of the wooden handle in your left hand and the slender copper stick in your right hand to strike. The pronunciation is clear and crisp, and it is often used to beat the rhythm in Sanskrit music.

In addition, in addition to the cloud chime, there is also a "monk chime" musical instrument in Buddhism, which is very different from the "instrument chime". The Buddhist "monk chime" is in the shape of a "bowl".

There are roughly three types of "monk chimes" in Buddhism: "round chimes", "blade chimes" and "small hand chimes". The "round chime" is shaped like a bowl and is mostly made of copper, iron and other metals. The larger one is about two or three feet in diameter and less than two or three feet in height. The smaller one is about half a foot in diameter and less than half a foot in height. The "plaque chime" is made of stone. According to the "Xiang Qi Jian" written by an unknown person in ancient times, it is said:

The small chime is as big as a peach, with an orifice at the bottom and a thread running through it. It is connected with small bamboo branches as the handle, with a small When struck with an iron bar, it is called a chime. It is named because it guides people.

In large temples during the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the Buddhist "monk chime" sounded loud, elegant and clear. Most of them are used in the opening and closing of Buddhist scriptures, closing and closing palms, and the Buddha's name. During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, in addition to being struck during monks' "daily recitation" or various Dharma gatherings, chime instruments also had to be struck during many rituals. According to records in ancient books:

Yuan The sound of the chime chanting is controlled by Vina. Whenever the abbot, abbot, an official, a protector, etc. pay homage to the Buddha, they all chant three times. The "flat chime" is made of stone, shaped like a cloud board, and hangs outside the abbot's gallery. When a guest sees the abbot, he will chime three times. There is also a small hand chime, which is rang when worshiping the Buddha and chanting sutras, which is the beginning and end of the festival.

In the prosperous Tang Dynasty, famous Chinese poets such as Bai Juyi, Yuan Zhen, and Li Xun not only wrote poems praising the pure and elegant sound of the chime, but also praised the "gold sound and jade vibration" of the stone chime. Stone is replaceable.

In his poem "Sibin Gets a Stone Chime" written by Li Xun, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, he greatly praised the chime instrument and added a layer of poetic charm to the Lingbi chime stone. The poem said:

When the water comes out, you can see the purity, and there is jade sound in the water.

The ancient utensils match each other well, and the rhyme is harmonious.

In the Song Dynasty, in 1051, Song Renzong issued an order to send troops from the seven states of Xu, Su, Si, Jiang, Zheng, Huai, and Yang to Lingbi to quarry stones and make chimes. Lingbi is a treasure land in southeast Anhui that produces rare stones, but such grand quarrying has always been rare. What has gone before has led to implication, and there have been numerous treatises on the Lingbi chime stone here, which has pushed the chime instrument to another cultural peak.

During the Northern Song Dynasty, the great writer Su Dongpo even visited Lingbi several times. Because his poems, articles, and paintings made the Lingbi chime stone shine even more brilliantly, and especially because of his suggestions, Lingbi Only then was it able to be officially organized as a county, and in 1117 it was officially renamed "Lingbi" to "Lingbi". This undoubtedly added a strong touch to the glorious stone chime culture.

Also, Dai Fuxu, a famous Jianghu poet of the Southern Song Dynasty, greatly praised the Lingbi Chime Stone in "Song of the Lingbi Chimestone Composed by the Minister of the King Fang Yan", saying in the poem:

Lingbi is a rare stone in the world, with a sound like bronze-colored jasper.

You can sharpen the thief's sword, and you can rely on it to strike the treacherous wat. May you never grow old and be as virtuous as you.

In 1289, Emperor Shizu of the Yuan Dynasty ordered Dalezheng Zhao Zurong to pass down the ancient Sibin quarrying stone to make two hundred single and eight-hanging chimes. Dalezheng wrote an "Ode to the Chime" to praise his virtues, which also became a symbol of stone. The inheritance and development of chime culture in the Yuan Dynasty provided excellent conditions.

Following the Song and Yuan dynasties, another large-scale movement to develop Lingbi and chime stones began for the purpose of the Ming Dynasty’s palace ritual music and the construction of the Zhongdu. Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, "spared the materials and cultivated the craftsmen" for the sake of the safety of the country, and helped Lingbi build the corridors of prefectures and counties. The "Hongwu Relics" at the foot of the Lingbi Stone Mountain seem to still silently tell the glory of being presented to the imperial court.

In the Qing Dynasty, the "Shiquan Old Man" Emperor Qianlong visited the south of the Yangtze River six times. He admired the reputation of "Sibin Fuqing". After passing the Lingbi, he inscribed a piece of "Jade Qing'an" The plaque has become a good story in the local area, and the title of "The No. 1 Stone in the World" has been passed down by word of mouth from generation to generation. This is also a testimony to the inheritance of the Lingbi and Chimestone culture.

In short, the chime stone instrument has a long and glorious history, as well as its fine texture, tough stone, dark color and beautiful stone characteristics, and its golden sound and jade vibration have demonstrated its noble status in the past dynasties.

Also, there are strict regulations in the production of ancient chime instruments. According to the Beijing Museum's "Book of Confucian Temple Ding's Sacrifice":

The chime is composed of rhythmic points, made of Lingbi stone, with golden clouds and dragons painted on both sides. A centimeter; the drum is built one foot, nine minutes, three and a half millimeters, and the drum is three inches, six minutes, four centimeters, and a half millimeters; the sixteen pieces are all the same, and the thickness is different according to the law. The system of a certain year is engraved on the side of the crotch, and the name of a certain rhythm is engraved on the side of the drum.

This shows that the chimes in the Qing Dynasty were mainly used for celebrations. The chimes made during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty were made into a set of 16 chimes.

In 1790, Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty also made a set of gold chimes made of gold, and a set of gold chimes were used together with it. In the Qing Dynasty, special chimes and made-up chimes were widely used in court music. Special chimes were the instruments played by the emperor when he offered sacrifices to heaven and earth, ancestors, and Confucius.

The special chime has 12 pieces with different pitches, all hanging individually on the wooden chime frame. They are of different sizes, the largest is "Huang Zhong" and the smallest is "Ying Zhong". In the 12 months of the year, music of a different tune is played for each month, such as Taicu for the first month of the lunar calendar, Dalu for the twelfth month of the lunar calendar, etc.

When playing the special chime, you only need to replace it with the special chime of the corresponding key. When playing in ensemble, hit the special chime once at the end of each phrase to strengthen the rhythm.

my country’s national musical instrument has a long history and a long history. Metal musical instruments are mostly made of copper or a mixture of copper and tin. There are many types of metal musical instruments in ancient times, the most important of which are bell instruments, and suona and other metal musical instruments. Their most common characteristics are loud sound, crisp sound quality and soft tone, which are enough to represent the sound of metal and stone in our country's musical instruments.

Gong is a percussion musical instrument commonly used by various ethnic groups in ancient my country. It is also a metal musical instrument. It has a long history, various types, loud sound and unique characteristics, and is popular all over the country.

Chime

Chime

Quarrying

The chime after completion