Ancient Bronze Bells in Wuhan

These bells and stones were unearthed in 1978 on the outskirts of Suizhou City in Hubei Province. They are now on display in the Hubei Provincial Museum in Wuhan. The technology involved in making these musical instruments is absolutely amazing even if we disregard the fact that they were made almost 2,500 years ago. The makers of the bells inscribed the instructions how to play the bells right onto the bells.

These musical instruments were used for the last time in 1997 in a concert in Hong Kong featuring cellist Yo Yo Ma celebrating the return of Hong Kong to China. A crack was discovered in one of the bells after the concert and a decision was made not to use the bells again.

Bronze Chime Bells and Chime Stones from about 433 BC

Replicas in Concert