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Pai Xiao

The Pai Xiao means to several pipes are combined together this is a 3000 year old Chinese wind instrument has a wider musical range and produces a clear and rich melody. It can also be used to mimic birds chanting.

Pai Xiao, or the Chinese vertical flute, is also called Dong Xiao, which indicated that there are many holes in the pipe. It has been popular since thousands of years ago. It was a musical instrument used for religious rituals in the days of the philosopher Confucius (K?ung Fu-Tzu), who reportedly became depressed upon hearing a Pai Xiao?s melancholic tones.

During the early development period of Pai Xiao, people began to call it Xiao. While performing, people found that it may give out high and low tones if there were holes of different distances between each other. In this regard, Dong Xiao gradually took the place of Pai Xiao, thus, Dong Xiao has many holes and only one pipe. The Pai Xiao is usually made of bamboo, the top is sealed by bamboo and occurs in straight and curved designs, but it is also found with a unique symmetrical form, which has a centrally-located bass tube, with tubes of decreasing size radiating outwards on either side. This form of Pai Xiao resembles a bird?s outstretched wings and its use in the religious ceremonies of the time ways symbolic of the phoenix, the legendary fire bird that represented life, death and resurrection.

The Pai Xiao is an ancient Chinese wind music instrument although in the 20th century it was reconstructed Pai Xiao is no longer used and having died out with the ancient times.