\n
\tThe bronze drum <\/strong>is not covered with skin but made entirely<\/strong> of hollowed bronze, and it is the most popular instrument among the ethnic minorities <\/strong>in the south and southwest <\/strong>of China. Its beginning may be traced to be bronze cauldron, a cooking utensil in ancient times.<\/p>\n \tIt 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<\/strong>. For this reason, it was in the possession of the clan headman or tribal chief as a symbol <\/strong>of ruling power. With the decline of chieftain dominance, the bronze drum usually fell into the hands of powerful or rich families.<\/p>\n \tToday the drum is still a favourite instrument with the Zhuang, Buyi, Dai, Dong, Miao and Yao minorities of China. At festival celebrations <\/strong>or other important activities such as a horse race or a singing competition, the drum is usually played to add to the fun. \tThe oldest bronze drum unearthed so far dates from the Warring States Period more than 2,600 years ago.<\/p>\n \tThe average size of the drums of this type is about one metre in diameter, and most of them are decorated on the surface with cloud and thunder patterns<\/strong>, characteristic of ethnic arts.<\/p>\n \tThe 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 metres, a height of 37.5 centimetres and a weight of 300 kilograms, and is now exhibited<\/strong> in Nanning Museum.<\/p>\n \tWords\uff1a
\tUp to now, a total of 1,300 bronze drums have been collected and unearthed in China, which are displayed <\/strong>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 <\/strong>them.<\/p>\n
\t<\/strong>\u94dc\u9f13