The bianqing existed before
Shang Dynasty. The bianqing in the Shang Dynasty are made of stone, jade and bronze. The tiger shaped stone bianqing unearthed from the Yin tomb in the village of Wu Guan in Anyang,
Henan Province, is made of marble and has a history of more than 3000 years. Its timbre is as clear as that of bronze musical instruments. During the
spring and Autumn period,
Confucius was an expert in making bianqing. During the reign of the
Qianlong Emperor of the
Qing dynasty (1736-1795), the special bianqing (now collected in the temple of heaven in Beijing) were made of
Xinjiang Hetian Jasper, with a zigzag shape. In 1790, the Qianlong Emperor also made a set of bianqing with gold, and a set of
bianzhong was used with it. Since the 1970s, China has successively unearthed large bianqing in
Jiangling and
Suixian counties of
Hubei Province. Jiangnan ancient city of Jiangling, Hubei Province, is the capital of
Chu state during the spring and Autumn period and
Warring States period. A set of 25 chimes were unearthed here in 1970. A total of 41 chimes were unearthed from the
tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng in suixian County, Hubei Province. In the second half of 1980,
Hubei Provincial Museum cooperated with Wuhan Institute of physics to copy this set of bianqing from the early Warring States period more than 2400 years ago. Its pronunciation is consistent with the phonetic inscriptions of the original bianqing．The bass is thick and high, the treble is clear, the timbre is beautiful and beautiful, and the range is up to three octaves. It can rotate the palace and play a variety of music. The bianqing has always played an important role in traditional Chinese music. In ancient times, it was used for large ceremonies and sacrifices. In modern times, it appears more and more in the performance in people's vision. == See also ==