Wooden <i>zhu</i> with five strings- Hunan Museum
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Wooden zhu with five strings
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Date:Western Han (206 BCE-9 CE)

Dimensions: Overall Length: 31cm

Origin: Excavated from Han Tomb No.3 at Mawangdui, Changsha City, Hunan Province in 1973

Zhu was a percussion instrument used in ancient China. It consisted of a wooden box that tapered from the top to the bottom, and was played by grasping a vertical wooden stick and striking it on the bottom face. 

The instrument was used to mark the beginning of music in the ancient ritual music of China. The instrument is rarely used today, with specimens appearing mainly in Chinese museums.