In the Shaanxi province of China, archaeologists have discovered a pristine Zhou Dynasty tomb containing a set of sixteen jade-inlaid bronze musical chimes. The chimes, still hanging from their original lacquer frames, were found alongside a series of ritual vessels and chariots, indicating the burial of a high-ranking noble.
Each chime is tuned to a specific pitch in the ancient Chinese pentatonic scale, and the jade inlays depict intricate scenes of dragons and celestial spirits. This find provides rare material evidence of the role of complex orchestral music in early Chinese state ceremonies and the sophisticated metallurgy required to produce such instruments.