Five Musicians
This piece depicts five musicians on a balcony, playing (from left to right) a yaogu (waist drum), xiao (end-blown flute), di (side-blown flute), zhuban (bamboo clapper) and changgu (long hourglass drum)
This group was excavated from a tomb at Moerpo in Dazu county and was intended to entertain the wealthy tomb-owner in the afterlife. Song dynasty [AD960-1279]
Click on the links below to explore the musician's instruments in more detail
Waist drum
This is a yaogu, a drum tied to the musician's waist and often played by dancers
End-blown flute
This is a xiao, an end-blown flute traditionally made of bamboo.
Side-blown flute
This is a di, a side-blown flute usually made of bamboo and with a reed membrane inside to give it a distinctive sound.
Bamboo clapper
This is a zhuban, a percussion instrument played by clapping together several flat pieces of bamboo.
Long hourglass drum
This is a changgu, an hourglass-shaped drum with two ends that produce sounds in a different pitch.
Dazu in Detail:
- Five Musicians
- Sakyamuni Buddha