Ancient Chinese believed music could purify people's minds. Confucius himself was a famous music enthusiast. When Confucius heard the music of Shao in today's Shandong Province, he was so captivated that for three months he didn't taste of meat, though his students paid their tuition in dried meat.

Traditional Chinese musical instruments are made of eight materials: bronze, stone, pottery, wood, bamboo, silk, dried gourd, and leather. There were generally five scales in ancient Chinese music, corresponding with the belief that the universe was composed of five elements, according to Qiao Jianzhong, director of the music department of the China Art Institute.

Sound of Gold and Jade

According to literary works, the concert of bronze chimes and chime stones are called the Sound of Gold and Jade, the most elegant and dignified music in ancient China.

"We can never hear the music from the Ancient Greek instruments. But this set of chimes in China has brought back to us the melodies more than 2,400 ago," -- American Violinist Yehudi Menuhin