Sheng 笙

The sheng is a traditional Chinese mouth-blown reed instrument with a history of over 3,000 years, recognized as one of the oldest Chinese wind instruments. It consists of a series of vertical bamboo pipes arranged in a circle, each with a metal reed, creating a harmonic sound when air is blown into a central chamber. The sheng can play multiple notes simultaneously, making it unique among Chinese instruments for its ability to produce chords. Traditionally used in folk and opera music, the sheng now also appears in contemporary and orchestral music globally.