Suzhou Ethnic Musical Instruments

Suzhou Ethnic Musical Instruments

　　The craft of making Suzhou ethnic musical instruments has a long history, featuring a complete range of categories, abundant varieties, and exquisite craftsmanship, renowned both in China and abroad. These instruments exhibit distinctive artistic features and unique local styles. Representative works include the erhu, ruan, guzheng, pipa, as well as the revived ancient instruments like the konghou and bianzhong. There are also those prefixed with “Su,” such as the “Su flute,” “Su xiao,” “Su gong,” “Su drum,” and more.

　　　　The origins of Suzhou ethnic musical instrument making can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period. At that time, the State of Wu had highly developed bronze smelting techniques, which provided favorable conditions for the production of bronze musical instruments. In 1964, nine bianzhong (chime bells) from the Eastern Zhou Dynasty were unearthed at the Chengqiao Tomb of the Warring States Period in Luzhi, Jiangsu. The front of the bells bore inscriptions, including the two characters “Gong Wu Qian,” which, upon research, are identified as “Gou Wu.” This set of bianzhong is the earliest musical instrument from the Wu region discovered to date.

　　　　Judging from a rare wooden lacquered guqin (seven-stringed zither) unearthed in 1991 at a Warring States tomb in Changqiao Village, Changqiao Town, Wu County, Suzhou — an artifact extremely rare even within China — the people of the Wu region during the pre-Qin period over two thousand years ago already possessed uniquely distinctive ethnic musical instruments.

　　　　Suzhou ethnic musical instruments feature elegant and concise shapes, rational and uncluttered structures, exquisitely crafted and meticulously made components, a refined and unconventional style, as well as sweet and pure tones. They embody a strong ethnic character and fully showcase the cultural essence and artistic style of Suzhou ethnic musical instruments. This essence and style represent the quintessence and soul of Chinese ethnic musical instruments.