China
Chinese

Clay
Mid-Late 20th century
Length: 5.25 in, Width: 2.875 in, Depth: 1.875 in
Aerophones – Wind Instruments Proper – Edge-blown Flutes

This professional ten-hole xun is a globular vessel flute decorated with fish pattern designs. The xun, dating back to more than 7,000 years ago, is one of the oldest Chinese musical instruments. It was discovered along the Yangtze River and the Yellow River as Neolithic relics and is believed to have been very popular in ancient China. Ancient people used a kind of oval stone with naturally formed holes to hunt prey. When thrown at an animal, the stone produced a whistling sound as the air flowed through the holes, which could have provided inspiration for early wind instruments.  Used in this manner would classify it as an interruptive free aerophone.