Clay and Ancient Chinese Musical Instruments

Clay is evocative of earth (di) as a fertile field. Constructed of fire-hardened clay, the xun globular flute is the only surviving example from this category.Following the appearance of the ancient Shang xun, the globular flute is cited in the Erya (Refined Definitions,c.3rd century BC) as being of two types: large, shaped like a goose egg, with flattened bottom and six holes; and small, shaped like a chicken egg. 

“Six holes' most likely refers to five fingerholes plus one blowhole (as on Shang types). By the eighteenth century, xun flutes commonly did have six fingerholes, four in front and two at the back, and subsequently eight or more fingerholes. Instruments surviving from this period are usually lacquered red and decorated with gold dragon motifs. While the iconic significance of the egg shape is not explained in the old texts, it is clear that the symbolic associations between the egg, earth, and fertility were quite ancient in China.