Sound of replicas of Chime Bells of Marquis Yi of Zeng digitally preserved

A team specializing in the digitization of traditional Chinese instrumental music has completed the task of collecting and preserving the sound of replicas of the Chime Bells of Marquis Yi of Zeng with a history of more than 2,400 years.

Photo taken in March 2021 shows a woman playing chime bells at the cultural square of Wujiatai village, Wanzhai township, Xuan'en county, central China's Hubei province. (People's Daily Online/Song Wen)

The Chime Bells of Marquis Yi of Zeng is the key highlight of Hubei Provincial Museum. Unearthed in 1978 in Suizhou city of central China’s Hubei Province, it is the largest set of bronze bells excavated in China.

Weighing 5 tons, the Chime Bells of Marquis Yi of Zeng consist of 65 bells which are hung at three levels and are divided into eight groups. Each bell produces two different tones.

Photo taken on Dec. 20, 2021 shows a set of chime bells, found in 1978 in the tomb of Marquis Yi, on display in the new exhibition hall of the Hubei Provincial Museum in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. (Xinhua/Cheng Min)

The original set of chime bells have only been played three times since its excavation 45 years ago. Only six sets of replicas of Chime Bells of Marquis Yi of Zeng have been produced.

Working together with the Hubei Provincial Museum Chime Bell Orchestra, the team has collected 613 single-tone sounds made by striking 64 different positions on the bells.

This is the first systematic and high-precision digital restoration of the sound source of the replicas of Chime Bells of Marquis Yi of Zeng since they were made.