Old is gold

The Huaxia Ancient Music Orchestra stages a show at the Henan Museum. Photo provided to China Daily

An orchestra in China has set its heart on reviving the country's ancient musical traditions. Wang Kaihao reports in Zhengzhou.

It feels like a fantasy to be inside a large hall, filled with the melody of Auld Lang Syne being played on a set of stone percussion musical instruments that date back to at least 2,000 years ago.

But when the Huaxia Ancient Music Orchestra plays all 10 kinds of ancient musical instruments in its possession, the Henan Museum comes alive in an acoustic feast, transporting listeners to a long-lost time. Huaxia is considered a romantic synonym for the word China.

The 15-member orchestra was founded in 2000 in Zhengzhou, the capital city of central China's Henan province.

According to Huo Kun, deputy head performer of the orchestra, the orchestra's birth was triggered by a project in the province's Xichuan county, where wangsungao bianzhong (bronze bells) were unearthed in 1978.

As many as 26 different bells from 2,500 years ago are among the best preserved musical instruments of that era. Their copies are now at the heart of the orchestra.

"Central China has been an important hub of music since the dawn of human civilization," Huo tells China Daily.

Driving Huo's point is a bone flute from about 8,700 years ago, left as a key exhibit at the Henan Museum. The flute is believed to be among the world's oldest musical instruments that can play seven pitches.