Bells (Chung) were ritual percussion instruments over 4000 years ago in China during the Shun Empire. Still today the sound of the bell is placed in the same category as that of thunder. The music of bells is ‘princely’ music and a standard of universal harmony. The word for music in China is represented by the same symbol as that for serenity.
Confucian bells are associated with ideas of fertility & abundance. During the time of Confucius 5th century BC, the ancient kings were ever careful about things which affected the human heart. They believed that sound arose from the heavens, was patterned into music through the heart and finally echoed into our physical world, producing a rich variety of music. The heart was the place where harmony arises & was the interpreter & transmitter from above to below. Therefore it was through the tones of ritual and music that brought people’s inner feelings and external conduct into balance to establish an atmosphere of peace in the nation.
The Emperor, with the help of his philosophers, mathematicians, astronomers, astrologists & high priests, set the foundation tone / pitch upon which the music of the entire empire was based. This perfect ‘Yellow Bell’ tone (known as Huang Chung) using celestial principles and cosmic proportions, was called after the colour of sacred wisdom, the Chinese imperial colour. The Chinese did not conceive the universe as being static. The pitch of bells and all musical instruments were modified according to the astrological, seasonal and climatic changes. The emperor could tell the condition of the individual cantons making up his empire, by their pitch and musical representation. The Chinese are credited for the art of bell founding, making massive bells of 50 tons, to small Wind-bells (Feng-ling) that hang from the eaves of houses & pagodas.