Bag of pitch pipes - Hunan Museum
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Bag of pitch pipes
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Medium:silk
Date:Western Han (206 BCE-9 CE)

Dimensions:Length: 28.2 cm; uppper length: 17 cm; lower length: 14.5 cm

Origin: Unearthed from Tomb 1 at Mamangdui, Changsha, in 1972

The bag which was used to contain the pitch pipes for yu is made of yellow thin silk embroidered with“xin qi”designs. Each of the pitch pipes is hollow inside, roughly 1.2 mm in wall thickness , and basically well preserved.  Some of these pitch pipes were misplaced or mislabeled. Therefore, we can presume that this set of pitch pipes are burial objects more than actual musical instruments.

The form of musical performance popular from the Warring States Period to the Qin and Han Dynasties was the ensemble of yu and se. It was the most common form of instrumental performance for the ruling class during their feasts and entertainment.