The suona, a double-reed woodwind instrument, was first introduced to China from Arabia via the Silk Road as early as the 3rd century. After more than a thousand years of development, the instrument has become a traditional Chinese folk horn famed for its extremely loud sound and distinctively northern flavor.

The suona first appeared in written records during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), when General Qi Jiguang, who made remarkable achievements defending China's coastal regions against pirates, used the instrument to inspire his soldiers in battle.  

Now the instrument is widely used in traditional Chinese orchestras, and is surprisingly popular at carnivals in Cuba – the Caribbean island nation over 13,000 kilometers away from China.

The suona was taken to Cuba by Chinese immigrants in the late 19th century where it took the name "trompeta china." It is said that a young man Juan Martínez played the suona in a parade at a carnival in Santiago and its boisterous sound infected the exultant spectator. Since then, the trompeta china has become an integral part of carnival music ensembles in Cuba.  

"I once saw a parade at a carnival in Cuba. The instrument the people were playing at the very front was the suona," said Xu Shicheng, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. 

Players of the trompeta china are not necessarily of Chinese ancestry, but are in fact almost exclusively performers of African descent. 

Apart from the suona, traditional Chinese medicine, martial arts and Chinese cuisine have also been exerting a deep influence on Cuban society.