Chime (Qing) for Linzhong (8th note in the 12-note scale)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The manufacture of sonorous stones for decoration or music from carved or cut jade may be traced to the end of the late Eastern Zhou period (ca. 771–221 B.C.) and followed in a tradition of L-shaped stone chimes known from about 1700 B.C. The great importance of sonorous substances such as wood and stone among the percussion instruments of East Asia stems from the religious belief that, through this vibrating matter, nature itself speaks to the human ear. Highly polished slabs were decorated with tiger, lion, or dragon motifs.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art