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Today I’ll talk about the xun (in Chinese character: 埙), one of the oldest musical instruments from China, dating back to 7000 years ago! Most xuns are made with pottery, although they can also be made with ceramic, bamboo, bone, and wood, etc.

Traditional xuns are egg-shaped, which are still popular today. Some modern xuns have taken on slightly different shapes, to provide greater control of the sound produced.

The xun is a wind instrument, with a blowing hole on the top, though there is no fipple mouthpiece to the blowing hole. There can be 5 to 10 holes for the fingers (though rarely 6). Out of these holes, two are in the back for the two thumbs, and the rest are in the front for the remaining fingers.

Some people believe the xuns were invented for hunting animals by imitating the sounds of animals and birds. Others believe that in ancient times, stone or clay balls were attached to the end of a rope, to throw at and hit animals. Some of the balls were hollow, so they made sounds when thrown. People then learned how to blow air into hollow balls to make music.

The xun has been revived in the past several decades. Its soulful and desolate sound aligns with the Chinese aesthetic philosophy.