In the Shaanxi province of China, researchers have recovered a set of 4,000-year-old bamboo flutes that still bear traces of red silk dye. Found in a tomb belonging to a high-ranking ritual specialist, the instruments provide evidence of complex musical traditions associated with early Longshan culture spring festivals.
Acoustic analysis of the flutes suggests they were tuned to specific scales meant to mimic the sounds of migrating birds. Scholars believe these sounds were central to "ancestor-summoning" rites, where the return of seasonal life was heralded by communal musical performances in open-air plazas.