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Joanne Yau

This is the fifth in a series of articles about classical Chinese instruments and the traditional Chinese music orchestra, in which we explore how musicians play the eight different types of instrument, and their history.
The drum is one of the things early humans all had in common, whether they were in Mesopotamia, ancient Egypt or China 5,000 years ago.
A collection of clay drums at the National Museum of China dates back to the Majiayao culture (circa 3800BC-2000BC) that was based in what is now Gansu province in northwest China.
These instruments would have had membranes – also called drum skins or drumheads – made from animal hides; sounds were produced by striking their surfaces.


According to the Book of Rites, or Liji, which is more than 2,000 years old, drums were ceremonial music instruments that it was thought could speak to the gods when struck, presumably because their sound could be heard several kilometres away.
They are also believed to have been beaten during hunts to drive animals out of hiding.

Today drums are used to accompany lion dance and dragon dance performances at Lunar New Year and in blessing ceremonies of new business venues, and feature in the percussion section of the modern Chinese orchestra.
According to the eight traditional material categories of Chinese music instruments (ba yin), the drum is the most common of the instruments belonging to the ge, or animal skin, category.
There are two types of drums commonly seen on the concert stage.

1. Tanggu
The tanggu is a barrel-shaped drum made of wood and comes in a variety of sizes and pitches. Dating back to the Northern Wei dynasty (386-535 AD), tanggu means “ceremonial hall drum” in Chinese. It is also used in Buddhist and Taoist religious ceremonies and in Confucian rites.
It is usually made of cowhide that is stretched over both ends of a wooden barrel and held in place by bronze tacks.
The tanggu drums most often used by the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra range in size from 0.8 metres (31 inches) to 1.5 metres in diameter; the largest one has a diameter of 3.4 metres.
Smaller drums are placed on a low stand and the player strikes the drum’s top membrane with two drumsticks from either a standing or seated position. Larger ones have rings that allow them to be suspended from a frame and are hit from the side. The smaller the tanggu is, the more high-pitched the sound it produces.


2. Bangu
The bangu, or Chinese frame drum, is known for the piercing, high-pitched sound it produces. It is commonly used to set rhythm in Chinese opera and also features in chamber music ensembles.
This drum is much smaller and flatter than the tanggu, being some 25cm in diameter and 10cm deep. It is made of cowhide that is stretched tightly over wooden slats and secured with tacks, and there is only one playing membrane.
The drum is usually on a stand and the drummer, who is seated, strikes it with one or two bamboo sticks. Depending on where the drum skin is struck, sounds of several pitches can be produced.

Besides these two types of drum, others are used in China such as the 1,000-year-old yaogu (waist drum), with a membrane made of cowhide, that features in a famous dance in Shaanxi province.
Chinese drums are believed to have served as the model for the Korean janggu, an hourglass-shaped drum with two drumheads which is said to have been imported from China during the Song dynasty (960-1279) and was used in court music and folk music.
Japan has the kakko drum, introduced to Japan from China in the 7th century, which is struck by a kneeling drummer.


All about the Chinese drum, orchestra essential once seen as a way to talk to the gods

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Chinese culture

A drumming workshop on stage at Tsuen Wan Town Hall. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Luk Kin-bun, the percussion principal of Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, with a large “tanggu” drum. The instrument, a mainstay of Chinese orchestra percussion sections, has been around in China for thousands of years in various forms. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Monie Chak, a drumming teacher with the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, conducts a workshop on stage at Tsuen Wan Town Hall. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Hong Kong Paralympian Daniel Chan plays the tanggu, a barrel-shaped drum made of wood, on stage in a workshop at Tsuen Wan Town Hall. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Performers at a Hong Kong Drum Festival 2024 event at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui. Photo: Dickson Lee

All about Chinese chime bells and gongs, classical musical instruments with a long history

Performers strike hand-held gongs during cerebrations for the Dragon Boat Festival in Linfen, China, in 2020. Of the metal instruments played in a Chinese orchestra, gongs and chime bells are the most common. Photo: Getty Images

Bianzhong, or chime bells, are an ancient instrument often found in tombs and were already in use in the earliest recorded periods of Chinese civilisation. Photo: Getty Images

Chime bells from the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng, exhibited in the Hubei Provincial Museum. Photo: Getty Images

An illustration of a Chinese waterman and his barge, next to a large gong, in the 18th century. Photo: Getty Images

All about the Chinese clay flute, from its ancient origins to Studio Ghibli inspiration

A musician plays the xun, an ancient Chinese clay flute that began life as a hunting tool to attract prey. Today, it is the signature clay instrument of modern Chinese orchestras. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Wu Chih-ting, a Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra member, with a xun. It is the signature clay instrument of modern Chinese orchestras. Photo: Jonathan Wong

A musician plays the xun at a village in Zoucheng, Shandong. Blowing air into the mouthpiece creates a breathy, sometimes melancholic sound that can be calming and meditative. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

How traditional Chinese instruments sheng and ‘Chinese bagpipes’ make music using gourds

The Chinese sheng (above) is formed from a gourd and bamboo pipes. Photo: Shutterstock

The sheng and “hulusi” or Chinese bagpipes (above) are traditional Chinese wind instruments that use a bottle gourd for a base and bamboo pipes with finger holes to play notes. Photo: Shutterstock

A dried calabash or bottle gourd. These were used for millennia for transporting liquids, and in ancient China were turned into musical instruments including the sheng and “hulusi” or “Chinese bagpipes”. Photo: Shutterstock

Lu Yi, sheng player with the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra. Photo: Jonathan Wong

The ‘Chinese bagpipes’ come in various forms and colours, and are often decorated in classical Chinese style. Photo: Shutterstock

Hong Kong noodle history and the different noodle styles explained

Shrimp roe thick noodle lo mien from Kwan Kee Bamboo Noodle in Hong Kong. Photo: Llewellyn Cheung

Roast goose with lai fun rice noodles from Yung Kee in Hong Kong. Learn about the different kinds of noodles served in the city, how they are traditionally made, and the foods they are typically paired with. Photo: Llewellyn Cheung

Wheat noodles originate in Northern China, while rice noodles have Southern Chinese origins, says Dr Siu Yan-ho, a lecturer in Chinese language and literature at Baptist University. 

Marco Li Ka-chi of Kwan Kee Bamboo Noodle balancing on a bamboo pole to make noodles. Photo: Llewellyn Cheung

Shrimp roe thick noodle lo mien at Kwan Kee Bamboo Noodle. Photo: Llewellyn Cheung

 Cheung Wing Kee started making noodles in the 1950s, producing small quantities using labour-intensive methods.

Roast goose with lai fun rice noodles. The thicker, neutral-tasting noodles are perfect for absorbing the flavours from the roast goose and broth. Photo: Llewellyn Cheung

How to play mahjong and how to win at mahjong: basic rules to get a game started, the suits, winning hands – and what to say to claim your victory

Want to win mahjong? Here are the basics of how to win in this traditional Chinese tile-based tabletop game. Photo: Antony Dickson

These mahjong tiles have been stacked into rows two tiles high. Players take a tile in turn from one of these stacks, moving on to the next stack when the first is depleted. Photo: Antony Dickson

An example of “chicken hand”, which is four sets of any category. Photo: Antony Dickson

Examples of “sheung” (top), “pong” (middle) and “kong”. Photo: Antony Dickson

Lifestyle

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Music

Both the barrel-shaped tanggu, which can be more than 3 metres wide, and the much smaller frame drum are found on the Chinese concert stage


The Chinese drum, once thought to be an instrument that could speak to the gods, has been around for thousands of years in various forms. Two kinds are seen on the modern concert stage.
