Text by Liu Yishan Edited by He Sai &Bai Ning Photos by Su Zhuolin

Yehudi Menuhin,a renowned music master once exclaimed:“Ancient Greek musical instruments were all made of wood.They have not been preserved to this day.We can no longer hear the sound of ancient Greek musical instruments.Only the chime-bells of Marquis Yi of Zeng from China can reproduce the music of more than 2400 years ago.”

After listening to the “Ode to Joy” played by the chime bells,the world-famous Italian operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti saluted to the chime-bells:“Lunga vita alla musica (Long live the music)! ”

The chimes have the capacity of playing the tones of all the keys on a modern piano,yet they were born more than 2000 years earlier than the piano.It is undoubtedly worthy of being regarded as a rare treasure in the music world and a miracle in the history of world civilization.

To enable people across the world to appreciate the marvel of chimes,since 1992,the chimes of Marquis Yi of Zeng have been brought to many countries and played an important role in China’s friendly ties with countries all over the world.

Delicate details and intricate patterns on the zun and pan,a set of wine vessels excavated from the tomb of the Marquis Yi of Zeng.曾侯乙尊盘纹饰细密复杂，巧夺天工。

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan,the Hubei Provincial Museum held a special exhibition of cultural relics unearthed from the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng in Japan at the invitation of the Tokyo National Museum of Japan and the Sino-Japan Cultural Exchange Association.

During the exhibition,the Chime Orchestra presented 8 performances each day.The famous songs “Chu Shang,”“Sakura,” and “Four Seasons”which are familiar tunes in both China and Japan,intoxicated the audience as they listened to the beautiful tones flowing from the ancient chimes.

In the concert hall,all the audience stood and listened to the music to show their respect for the Chinese chimes,except for a few elderly and disabled people sitting in chairs.

The Chinese chimes instantly became popular in Japan.Even Emperor Akihito of Japan was drawn to the performance of the Chinese chimes.

On the afternoon of May 1,1992,Emperor and Empress Akihito walked into the Chime Recital Hall.After listening to the song “Sakura” played on the chimes,they felt extremely cordial.The emperor said:“On the 20th anniversary of the normalization of Japan-China relations,I am deeply grateful for such a performance!”

享誉世界的音乐大师梅纽因曾说：“古希腊的乐器都是木制的，没有保存到今天，我们再也听不到古希腊乐器的声音。只有中国的曾侯乙编钟，还能把2400 多年前的乐音再现我们面前。”

世界著名歌唱家帕瓦罗蒂听完编钟演奏的《欢乐颂》后，朝着编钟高呼：“音乐万岁！”

曾侯乙编钟能够演奏出现代钢琴上所有键的音响，却比钢琴早诞生了2000 多年，不愧为稀世珍宝，不愧为世界文明史上的奇迹。

为了让世界人民分享编钟的神奇，从1992年起，曾侯乙编钟就走出了国门，在中国与世界各国的交往中起到了很好的桥梁作用。

为庆祝中日邦交正常化20 周年，受日本东京国立博物馆、中日文化交流协会邀请，湖北省博物馆赴日举办曾侯乙墓出土文物特别展，曾侯乙编钟等古乐器随展并演奏。

期间，编钟乐团每天为观众演奏8 场，从古代编钟中流淌出的中日两国人民熟悉的名曲《楚商》《樱花》《四季》等，让听众陶醉。

演奏大厅里，除少数老人和残疾人坐在折叠椅上外，其他观众都站着听，以示对中国编钟的崇敬与尊重。

中国编钟在日本热起来了。日本明仁天皇主动提出要听中国编钟演奏。

1992年5月1日下午，天皇偕皇后步入编钟演奏厅，当听完编钟演奏的《樱花》乐曲后，他们倍感亲切，天皇表示：“在日中邦交正常化20 周年之际，举办这样的演奏，我深表感谢！”

他还告诉家人，曾侯乙墓出土的文物特别是编钟等乐器很好看，不要错过。此后，德仁皇太子和天皇的二儿媳都去听了编钟演奏。……