Now is the time to hark back to the dawn of Chinese civilization with some of the oldest instruments of their kind.

An over-7,800-year-old flute, which is believed to be the oldest wind instrument in the world, is taking center stage in a new exhibition entitled "The Sound of Harmony: Musical Instruments in Ancient China" at Beijing's National Museum of China – one of China's most visited museums.

The exhibition, which was unveiled on Saturday, August 8, explores the harmony between music, people, heaven and Earth through more than 200 pieces (sets) of rare instruments and music-related artworks.

With some of the most precious collections from the National Museum and its domestic counterparts like the Palace Museum on display, the exhibition gives visitors a glimpse of the musical life of early agrarian society and a chance to explore thousands of years of China's musical history.

Among the exquisite exhibits is the Jiahu bone flute, also called "Jiahu Gudi," which has been considered the earliest ancestor of ancient musical instruments. Crafted from the bones of crane birds, the flutes still maintain accurate intonation today.

Dating back to 7,800 to 9,000 years ago, the Jiahu bone flute is the oldest Chinese musical instrument discovered by archaeologists, as well as the earliest known wind instrument in the world.

The bone flute exhibited this time around comes from a collection of more than 40 bone flutes, mostly with seven sound holes, which were unearthed from 1986 to 2013 at the Jiahu Site of a Neolithic settlement, in Wuyang County of central China's Henan Province.

The discovery of the Jiahu bone flute has rewritten the Chinese musical landscape as it "traces the nation's music history back over 8,000 years ago," according to Zhang Juzhong, the former head of the archaeological excavation team of the Jiahu Site.

More than melodies

In addition to the "first instrument ancestor," time-honored national musical treasures are also on display, including ancient bone whistles from the Neolithic Hemudu Ruins, the famous "Jiu Xiao Huan Pei" Guqin from Tang Dynasty (618-907), and a set of over-2,500-year-old Bianzhong bell-chime.

"The musical instruments may have been used for rituals in the early days. However, it has gradually become a part of our lives as time goes by," said Zhuge Yingliang, curator of the exhibition.

Noting that ancient instruments became more complicated and diverse and helped shape vivid and colorful folk arts along with the change of dynasties, the curator said, "Our ancestors discovered how the musical instruments produce sound, and we still use them until today, which shows the wisdom of our forefathers."

"We designed three special scenes at the exhibition, and hope that through the cultural symbols, we can carry forward the profound meanings of ancient traditional Chinese culture," said Deng Lu, space designer of the exhibition.

Liu Weixian, another space designer, said that they tried to restore the original settings, where the instruments were played in ancient times.

(Cover image by Liu Shaozhen)