The earliest paixiao discovered so far in the world is the
bone paixiao in the early Western Zhou dynasty 3000 years ago. The two earliest bamboo
paixiao, unearthed from the
tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng, are from the
Warring States period over 2400 years ago. They are shaped like the wings of a phoenix. They are all made of 13 bamboo tubes of different lengths arranged in turn and wrapped with three bamboo tubes. The surface is decorated with red three corner patterns on a black background. In ancient times, male and female
paixiao were often used as ensemble to set off each other, just like male and female duets. During the 1600 years from the Spring and Autumn period to the end of the
Tang dynasty, the number and length of PaiXiao were different, which were spread through the ages and improved by instrumentalists. There are still two
paixiao from the Tang dynasty in the Shōsōin Repository of Tōdai-ji Buddhist temple in
Nara, the ancient capital of Japan. In the Institute of Chinese music in Beijing, there is a
paixiao made in the
Qianlong period (1736–1795) of the Qing dynasty. There are 16 pipes in total. Each pipe is engraved with a sound name. The craft is very exquisite, and the shape is beautiful. There are two golden dragons rising from the clouds on the set frame. In 1981,
Jilin opera house developed the double row and key
paixiao. This kind of paixiao has a wide range of sound, which can not only play melodious and soothing music, but also play lively and lively music. A musician named Gao Ming () plays a version called the
paidi in the Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show at the
Shaanxi Grand Opera House in
Xi'an; he has been a member of this ensemble since 1982. While his instrument superficially resembles the instrument used during the Tang dynasty, its pipes have
ducts rather than being end-blown, it is played with the pipes held horizontally rather than vertically, and it is set up to play in parallel thirds. ==See also==