A concert featuring the ancient Chinese instrument bianzhong, or chime bells, will be staged at New York City's Carnegie Hall, offering the audience a unique musical experience that dates back several thousands years.

The music of chime bells originated in China over 3,000 years ago. A set of chime bells often contains dozens of bronze bells with different shapes and scales. They are hung in a wooden frame and struck with a mallet to produce melodies.

Bringing together the beautiful, lingering sound of chime bells and the charm of traditional Chinese instruments, the concert also highlights the culture of Chu, an ancient kingdom that lasted some 800 years till 223 B.C. largely covering today's Hubei Province and neighboring regions in central China.

A set of 65 still functional chime bells was unearthed in northern Hubei's Suizhou City in 1978 from an ancient tomb of Marquis Yi, who died around 433 B.C. Yi was the ruler of Zeng, one of the minor states under the control of Chu.

The concert is created and performed by the Oriental Chinese Orchestra of the Wuhan Conservatory of Music, also from Hubei.

The concert is scheduled on May 31 at the Issac Stern Auditorium of the Carnegie Hall.