This is Randi Hacker with another Postcard from Asia from the KU Center for East Asian Studies.

According to Chinese legend, music was first made back in 1122 BCE by one Ling Lun on bamboo pipes that were tuned to the songs of birds. Shun, one of the three Sage Kings of Antiquity, is said to have tuned all the instruments and thus brought harmony to the world. Traditional instruments– such as those played by the Chamber Ensemble of the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra at the Lied on February 13 – include a bamboo flute called the dizi, a zither called the guzheng, and the erhu, a two stringed instrument played with a bow. Confucius, who had something to say about everything, had something to say about music, too: When music and courtesy are better understood and appreciated, there will be no war. Hold the thought.

From the KU Center for East Asian Studies, I’m Randi Hacker. Wish you were here.