Xi’an Drum Music

Xi’an Drum Music, a major music genre combining percussion and wind music, has played an important role in the history of Chinese folk music.

According to textual research, Xi’an Drum Music dated back to the Sui Dynasty and was in full bloom in the Tang Dynasty. It was once in a high position as court music. During the period of the An-Shi Rebellion, with the exile of court musicians, Xi’an Drum Music was diffused among the people. The musicians held music events in temples. The music gradually developed into three schools, i.e. the Buddhist, Taoist, and the secular. It flourished in Ming and Qing Dynasties. It’s said that Xi’an Drum Music had a deep influence not only on Chinese folk music but also on some ancient musical forms in Japan, South Korea, and Vietnam.

In April 2004, Xi’an Drum Music was listed in the Second Batch of Pilot Projects of China's National Folk Culture Protection Program by the Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China. In June 2004, the Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China filed an application to UNESCO to include Xi’an Drum Music and others in the protection program of the World Intangible Cultural Heritage on behalf of the Government of China. On 20 May 2006, the State Council listed Xi’an Drum Music into the first batch of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

Dongcang Drum Music Association is a famous Buddhist School of Xi’an Drum Music. In 2006, it officially settled in Tang Paradise. The thousand-year-old court music of the Tang Dynasty has been under good protection and has gained rejuvenation in an imperial garden of the Tang Dynasty.

The performance venue of Dongcang Drum Music Association is the Ziyun Pavilion in Tang Paradise.

The picture is a clip of the performance by the Association.