The Chime-bells’ International Influence

Text by Liu Yishan Edited by He Sai &Bai Ning Photos by Su Zhuolin

Yehudi Menuhin,a renowned music master once exclaimed:“Ancient Greek musical instruments were all made of wood.They have not been preserved to this day.We can no longer hear the sound of ancient Greek musical instruments.Only the chime-bells of Marquis Yi of Zeng from China can reproduce the music of more than 2400 years ago.”

After listening to the “Ode to Joy” played by the chime bells,the world-famous Italian operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti saluted to the chime-bells:“Lunga vita alla musica (Long live the music)! ”

The chimes have the capacity of playing the tones of all the keys on a modern piano,yet they were born more than 2000 years earlier than the piano.It is undoubtedly worthy of being regarded as a rare treasure in the music world and a miracle in the history of world civilization.

To enable people across the world to appreciate the marvel of chimes,since 1992,the chimes of Marquis Yi of Zeng have been brought to many countries and played an important role in China’s friendly ties with countries all over the world.

Delicate details and intricate patterns on the zun and pan,a set of wine vessels excavated from the tomb of the Marquis Yi of Zeng.曾侯乙尊盤紋飾細密復雜，巧奪天工。

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan,the Hubei Provincial Museum held a special exhibition of cultural relics unearthed from the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng in Japan at the invitation of the Tokyo National Museum of Japan and the Sino-Japan Cultural Exchange Association.

During the exhibition,the Chime Orchestra presented 8 performances each day.The famous songs “Chu Shang,”“Sakura,” and “Four Seasons”which are familiar tunes in both China and Japan,intoxicated the audience as they listened to the beautiful tones flowing from the ancient chimes.

In the concert hall,all the audience stood and listened to the music to show their respect for the Chinese chimes,except for a few elderly and disabled people sitting in chairs.

The Chinese chimes instantly became popular in Japan.Even Emperor Akihito of Japan was drawn to the performance of the Chinese chimes.

On the afternoon of May 1,1992,Emperor and Empress Akihito walked into the Chime Recital Hall.After listening to the song “Sakura” played on the chimes,they felt extremely cordial.The emperor said:“On the 20th anniversary of the normalization of Japan-China relations,I am deeply grateful for such a performance!”

享譽世界的音樂大師梅紐因曾說：“古希臘的樂器都是木制的，沒有保存到今天，我們再也聽不到古希臘樂器的聲音。只有中國的曾侯乙編鐘，還能把2400 多年前的樂音再現我們面前?！?/p>

世界著名歌唱家帕瓦羅蒂聽完編鐘演奏的《歡樂頌》后，朝著編鐘高呼：“音樂萬歲！”

曾侯乙編鐘能夠演奏出現代鋼琴上所有鍵的音響，卻比鋼琴早誕生了2000 多年，不愧為稀世珍寶，不愧為世界文明史上的奇跡。

為了讓世界人民分享編鐘的神奇，從1992年起，曾侯乙編鐘就走出了國門，在中國與世界各國的交往中起到了很好的橋梁作用。

為慶祝中日邦交正?；?0 周年，受日本東京國立博物館、中日文化交流協會邀請，湖北省博物館赴日舉辦曾侯乙墓出土文物特別展，曾侯乙編鐘等古樂器隨展并演奏。

期間，編鐘樂團每天為觀眾演奏8 場，從古代編鐘中流淌出的中日兩國人民熟悉的名曲《楚商》《櫻花》《四季》等，讓聽眾陶醉。

演奏大廳里，除少數老人和殘疾人坐在折疊椅上外，其他觀眾都站著聽，以示對中國編鐘的崇敬與尊重。

中國編鐘在日本熱起來了。日本明仁天皇主動提出要聽中國編鐘演奏。

1992年5月1日下午，天皇偕皇后步入編鐘演奏廳，當聽完編鐘演奏的《櫻花》樂曲后，他們倍感親切，天皇表示：“在日中邦交正?；?0 周年之際，舉辦這樣的演奏，我深表感謝！”

他還告訴家人，曾侯乙墓出土的文物特別是編鐘等樂器很好看，不要錯過。此后，德仁皇太子和天皇的二兒媳都去聽了編鐘演奏。

日本公明黨前委員長竹入義勝傾聽了曾侯乙編鐘演奏后留言：“神器出仙樂，這是你們民族的光榮和驕傲?！?/p>

1999年6月13日，美國前國務卿基辛格博士利用在武漢商談合作項目的機會，帶領他的10 余位同事到湖北省博物館參觀。

基辛格曾于1982年和1996年來過湖北省博物館，對許多著名文物很熟悉。他像一位導游，給同伴們介紹這些“大酒缸”“古代冰箱”“烤爐”等中國古董。

在編鐘演奏廳，曾侯乙編鐘和著排簫、箜篌等中國古代樂器，演奏了人們熟悉的《友誼地久天長》等樂曲，博得熱烈的掌聲和歡呼。

He also told his family that the cultural relics unearthed from the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng,especially the chimes and other musical instruments,were very beautiful and should not be missed.After that,Crown Prince Naruhito and the emperor’s second daughter-in-law all went to attend the chime performance.

After visiting and enjoying the performance,Yoshikatsu Takeiri,former chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the Komeito Party of Japan,commented:“What celestial music produced by magic artifacts!This is the glory and pride of your nation.”

On June 13,1999,Henry Kissinger,former US Secretary of State,took a dozen colleagues to visit the Hubei Provincial Museum during his business trip to Wuhan.

Dr.Kissinger formerly paid visits to the Hubei Provincial Museum in 1982 and 1996 and was familiar with many famous cultural relics there.He,as a tour guide,introduced to his companions Chinese antiques such as the giant wine jars as well as ancient refrigerators and ovens.

In the Chime Recital Hall,the chimes of Marquis Yi of Zeng and other ancient Chinese musical instruments such as panpipes and konghou played familiar musical compositions such as “Auld Lang Syne,” which won warm applause and cheers among the American visitors.

At the end of the visit,Kissinger wrote in the guest book:“It is a very high honor for me,and everyone to be able to make a visitand-study trip to such a beautiful place.I think I will have to come here another seven or eight times.”

At 9 o’clock on the evening of November 19,1980,the Hubei Provincial Museum,located on the shore of the East Lake in Wuhan,was serene.Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew,together with his wife,daughter,and his entourage,came to the Hubei Provincial Museum to experience the chime-bells of Marquis Yi of Zeng.

Lee Kuan Yew’s beloved daughter,a master-degree student studying Chinese history,showed great enthusiasm for traditional Chinese culture.One day’s visit was tiring enough,but as soon as they arrived in front of the museum,they went straight to the chime exhibition hall.They were instantly in awe of the giant instruments in front of them.

Lee Kuan Yew’s daughter behaved like a child who was eager for knowledge and wanted to know everything about the chimes.

It was very late at night.After listening to some famous Chinese and foreign songs such as “Chu Shang,” “Silent Night,Holy Night,” and “Wave upon Waves on the Honghu Lake,” they still felt that they had not enjoyed the performance to the fullest.They didn’t leave until after 11 o’clock.

On September 5,1983,the temperature in Wuhan reached as high as 40℃.Former British Prime Minister Edward Heath and his delegation,braving the heat,came to the Hubei Provincial Museum.They listened with great interest to the ancient chime-bells and the musical performance copresented by the chime orchestra of the Wuhan Conservatory of Music and the museum.

Heath was so fascinated that immediately after the performance,he canceled his plan to visit East Lake and started talking with the performers.Heath praised the outstanding achievements in bronze casting and music exhibited by the chimes of Marquis Yi of Zeng and raised some questions.Finally he exclaimed:“Today is the happiest and most rewarding day of my trip,which has helped me solve the long-held puzzle in my heart.In many international violin and other music competitions in recent years,young Chinese musicians have always achieved excellent results and won many times.I always wonder,what’s the reason behind this? It suddenly dawned on me when I come here today,through viewing and listening.China had such high achievements in music and art more than 2400 years ago.With such a deeprooted background and such a long history,it is difficult for China not to be in a leading position in the world today.”

參觀結束時，基辛格在留言簿上寫道：“能夠到這樣一個美好的地方來游覽學習，無論是對于我個人，還是對于所有人，都是一種很高很高的榮耀，我還要來七次、八次?！?/p>

1980年11月19日 晚 上9 點鐘，位于武漢東湖之濱的湖北省博物館靜悄悄的。新加坡總理李光耀及夫人、女兒和隨行人員來到湖北省博物館，特地參觀曾侯乙編鐘。

李光耀的愛女，一位攻讀中國歷史的碩士生，對中國的傳統文化表現出極大的熱情。一天的訪問已經夠累了，可他們一到博物館門前，就直奔編鐘陳列廳。他們瞬間被眼前的龐然大物驚住了。

李光耀的女兒不像貴賓，倒像一名渴求知識的小學生，恨不得在這里把有關編鐘的知識問個清楚明白。

夜深了，他們一口氣聽完了《楚商》《圣誕夜》《洪湖水浪打浪》等中外名曲，還是感覺意猶未盡，一直到11 點多鐘才離開。

1983年9月5日，武漢氣溫高達40℃，英國前首相希思一行不畏炎熱來到湖北省博物館，他們饒有興趣地聆聽了武漢音樂學院與博物館編鐘樂團聯合演奏的編鐘編磬古樂。

希思聽得入了迷。演奏完后，他當即取消了游覽東湖的計劃，和演員們攀談起來。希思盛贊曾侯乙編鐘在青銅鑄造及音樂藝術上的杰出成就，提出了一些問題，最后感嘆說：“今天是我此行中最高興最滿意的一天，幫助我解決了一個長期困惑不解的問題。在近些年多次國際性小提琴及其他音樂比賽中，中國少年選手總是能取得出色的成績，多次拿了冠軍。我總在想，這是什么原因？今天在這里一看一聽，我才恍然大悟。2400 多年前中國在音樂藝術方面就有這樣高的成就，根底如此之深，歷史如此之久，今天能不在國際上處于領先地位都難?！?/p>

Dragon-shaped jade pendant excavated from the tomb of the Marquis Yi of Zeng.曾侯乙墓中出土的龍形玉佩。

On October 12,1984,together with his wife and his entourage,Helmut Kohl,the then chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany,came to the Hubei Provincial Museum and stayed there for an hour.They proposed to watch the chime performance live.Listening to the fourth movement,“Ode to Joy,” of Beethoven’s“Ninth Symphony,” Kohl nodded frequently,and his wife was all smiles.One of the accompanying officials kept tapping with the beat while listening.

In the spring of 1995,the annual European Cultural Festival was scheduled to be held in Luxembourg.Luxembourg had a large number of metallurgical experts and advanced smelting processes,which had greatly helped China’s steel industry.Edouard Legille,Chairman of Luxembourg’s Paul Wurth Group and the commissioner of the European Cultural City Council,who had visited China dozens of times,thought of inviting the Chimes of Marquis Yi of Zeng in the Hubei Provincial Museum to participate in the festival.

Through the efforts of both sides,on April 6,1995,the Hubei Provincial Museum held the Chinese Art Exhibition of the Zhou Dynasty in Victor Hugo Hall,Luxembourg,and simultaneously a performance of the Chinese chime-bells and chime qings was presented.This was the first time that China was invited to participate in the grand European Cultural Festival.More than 10 TV and radio stations,newspapers,and magazines from Luxembourg,Germany,Britain,France,and some other European countries rushed to report this “program from China.”

The local entrepreneurs’association,engineers’ association,and press association not only organized their members for a visit,but also specially arranged a reception and invited the Chinese officials to provide an introduction to China’s current economic achievements.

The then Minister of Culture of Luxembourg,exclaimed at the end of the activity:“Within less than a month,the enthusiastic audience saw a charming picture and expanded their understanding of the real culture in the Far East.In Western Europe,unfortunately,little is known about that.The numerous ancient and priceless treasures have left an eternal impression on all of the audience,especially me.” She believed that the chime performance was the“most grand and successful”project among more than 500 activities at the European Cultural Festival.

During the exhibition,braving the wind and rain,Edouard Legille was present every day at the exhibition and personally explained and introduced the situation in China in detail,and even helped maintain order on the spot.He said he would visit China again in order to introduce more Chinese culture to Europe.

Gold weight excavated from the tomb of the Marquis Yi of Zeng.曾侯乙墓中出土的金器——金鎮。

1984年10月12日，德意志聯邦共和國總理科爾偕夫人一行，來到湖北省博物館，在這里停留一個小時，提出要現場看編鐘演奏。

聽著貝多芬《第九交響曲》第四樂章《歡樂頌》，科爾頻頻點頭，夫人滿面笑容。一隨行官員應節擊拍。

1995年春，一年一度的歐洲文化節輪在盧森堡舉行。盧森堡有大批冶金專家和先進的冶煉技術，對中國的鋼鐵事業有過很大幫助。曾經數十次訪問中國的愛德華·雷吉爾先生，是盧森堡保爾·沃特鋼鐵公司董事，也是歐洲文化城委員會專員，他想到了湖北省博物館里的曾侯乙編鐘。

經過雙方努力，1995年4月6日，湖北省博物館在盧森堡維克多·雨果大廳隆重舉辦“中國周代藝術品展”，中國編鐘編磬同時進行了現場演奏。這是中國首次應邀參加歐洲文化城盛會，盧、德、英、法等國10 多家電視、廣播、報刊爭相報道這臺“來自中國的節目”。

當地企業家協會、工程師協會和新聞界聯誼會不僅組織成員參觀，還專門安排酒會，邀請中方官員介紹中國經濟建設情況。

盧森堡文化部長在活動結束時感嘆：“一個多月里，狂熱的觀眾看了一幅迷人的圖畫，擴大了對遙遠東方一個真實文化的了解。在西歐，不幸的是人們對它的了解仍然微乎其微。眾多的、古老的、價值連城的珍寶給所有觀眾，特別是我個人留下了永恒的印象?！彼J為，編鐘演奏是整個歐洲文化節500 多項活動中“最盛大和最成功”的項目。

On the evening of January 21,2016,the “2016 China-Egyptian Cultural Year” kicked off in the Luxor Temple,which boasts a history of more than 3,000 years in Egypt.The square was brightly lit and full of brilliance.On the stage,the ritual music“Harmonic Pealing of Metal and Stone” played by the Chimes of Marquis Yi of Zeng opened the prelude to the dialogue between two great civilizations.Clear and majestic bells rang across the square,reverberating far and wide among the stone pillars of the temple.Together with hundreds of listeners,Chinese President Xi Jinping,who was there for a state visit,and the Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi watched the performance of the Chimes of Marquis Yi of Zeng.That was the first time the chimes had been in Egypt,as well as Africa.

In October of 2001,the Ninth International Conference on the History of Science in China was held in Hong Kong.Nearly 200 scholars from more than 10 countries and regions,including China,Russia,Britain,France,Germany,South Korea,and Japan,attended the conference.The conference logo hanging on the rostrum of the conference was the Chimes of Marquis Yi of Zeng,which was also printed on the front cover of the conference briefcases,and on the back cover was listed with the technical terms and pictures of various parts of the chimes.

Cheng Zhenyi,chairman of the organizing committee,said at the opening ceremony:“Our understanding of ancient Chinese civilization and ancient China’s contribution to science and technology has been enriched by the shocking archaeological discoveries in recent decades.The cover photo of our conference book shows the double-tone bronze chime-bells of the 5th century BC excavated from the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng.The back cover shows the terminologies of the chimes.These chimes do not simply reflect another set of bronze chimes found in the ancient world,as these chimes also contain scientific and technological knowledge of accurate acoustics,and harmonics,metallurgy,and precision casting technology.” He pointed out:“Marquis Yi of Zeng was born nearly 20 years after the death of Pythagoras.Pythagoras was regarded as a scholar who discovered music,acoustics,and musical temperament,and is known as the ‘father of acoustics.’The discovery of the chimes of Marquis Yi of Zeng has revised our view on the history of acoustics.These chimes are arranged in more than several octaves and engraved with tone (semitone)scales,as well as inscriptions on the relationship between the sound names and their equivalent tone marks.”

Almost all international friends affirmed that the chime technique was the wisdom of the Chinese people,as well as China’s great contribution to the history of world music.(Translation:Luo Dongyuan)

Bronze fu,a ritual vessel for serving grains.銅簠，祭祀盛粱器具。

展出期間，愛德華·雷吉爾先生不論風雨，每天到場親自講解、介紹中國情況，甚至幫助維持秩序。他表示還要去中國，把更多的中國文化介紹給歐洲。

2016年1月21日晚，“2016中埃文化年”，在埃及3000 多年歷史的盧克索神廟開幕。廣場上燈火輝煌、流光溢彩。舞臺上，曾侯乙編鐘奏響的禮樂《金石和鳴》，拉開了“兩個偉大文明對話”的序幕。清脆宏偉的鐘聲響徹廣場，在神廟的石柱間產生悠遠的回響。正在埃及訪問的中國國家主席習近平與埃及總統塞西等數百名聽眾，共同聆聽了曾侯乙編鐘的演奏。這是曾侯乙編鐘首次走進埃及，也是首次走進非洲。

2001年10月，第九屆國際中國科學史會議在香港召開，來自中、俄、英、法、德、韓、日等10 余個國家近200 名學者與會，盛況空前。大會主席臺上懸掛的巨型會標圖像是曾侯乙編鐘，會議材料的封面印的是曾侯乙編鐘，封底是編鐘各部位名稱的學術術語及其圖像。

組委會主席程貞一在開幕式上說：“我們所擁有關于古代中國文明和古代中國在科學技術上的貢獻方面的認識，由于近幾十年來令人震驚的考古發現而豐富起來。我們會議書籍封面照片展示了從曾侯乙墓中發掘出的公元前5世紀的雙音青銅編鐘。而封底則展示了編鐘的專業術語，這些編鐘不單純是反映從古代世界發現的又一套青銅編鐘，因為在此編鐘中還包含了精確的聲學、和聲學、冶金學和精密鑄造技術方面的科技知識?！彼赋觯骸霸钜疑诋呥_哥拉斯死后的近20年，畢達哥拉斯被看作是發現音樂和聲學、音律學的學者，被譽為’聲學之父’。曾侯乙編鐘的發現修正了我們對聲學史的看法，這一編鐘排列超過幾個八度，并雕刻有音（半音）階，還有音名和音樂相同調號關系的銘文?！?/p>

名流們的感悟，肯定了編鐘技術是中國人的智慧，也是中國對世界音樂史了不起的貢獻。