Ritual Bell (Bo zhong) with Stylized Dragon and Snake Decor and with Handle in the Form of Addorsed Birds

Music played a crucial role in the state rituals of late Bronze Age China. Believed to unify the thought and conduct of multitudes through melody and rhythm, it was also seen by philosophers as a manifestation of virtue. Among the many percussive, string, and wind instruments Bronze Age societies used in ceremonial rites, none loomed quite as large as magnificent bronze bells. Chinese musical bells were created in graduated sets, with each bell cast to a different size and tuned to a different pitch. The bells do not have interior clappers, but are instead completely hollow and must be struck on the exterior with a mallet or pole to emit their sound. Almond-shaped in cross-section, each bell produced two distinct tones, depending on whether it was struck near its center or side edge. Bells were cast by the same method used for bronze vessels; not surprisingly, they often have similar decorative patterns.