The bronze drum 铜鼓

The bronze drum is not covered with skin but made entirely of hollowed bronze, and it is the most popular instrument among the ethnic minorities in the south and southwest of China. Its beginning may be traced to be bronze cauldron, a cooking utensil in ancient times.

It was used in its time as a sacrificial vessel at offerings and rituals, or as a percussion instrument to give the signals to summon the people of the tribe. In battles it was struck to direct the fighting. For this reason, it was in the possession of the clan headman or tribal chief as a symbol of ruling power. With the decline of chieftain dominance, the bronze drum usually fell into the hands of powerful or rich families.

Today the drum is still a favorite instrument with the Zhuang, Buyi, Dai, Dong, Miao and Yao minorities of China. At festival celebrations or other important activities such as a horse race or a singing competition, the drum is usually played to add to the fun.

Up to now, a total of 1,300 bronze drums have been collected and unearthed in China, which are displayed in museums at various places. By far the richest collection of them is at the Museum of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in Nanning, which has a special pavilion devoted to them.

The oldest bronze drums unearthed so far date from the Warring States Period more than 2,600 years ago.

The average size of the drums of this type is about one meter in diameter, and most of them are decorated on the surface with cloud and thunder patterns, characteristic of ethnic arts.

The biggest bronze drum unearthed up to the time of writing saw the light in 1972 in Beiliu, Guangxi. It has a diameter of 1.65 meters, a height of 37.5 centimeters and a weight of 300 kilograms, and is now exhibited in Nanning Museum.