According to legend, the Chinese musical system was conceived by Ling Lun (during the reign of the great emperor Huangdi, ca.2700 BC), who established the huang-chung (yellow bell), a fundamental note, of absolute pitch. strictly established. The other notes were built on this sound by successive superimposition of perfect fifths, thus arriving at a circle of fifths similar to the Pythagorean one. The first five sounds of the fifth series form the basis of Chinese music, from ancient times to the present day. Continuing the series up to the twelfth sound, the twelve lü are obtainedChinese corresponding to the semitones of the chromatic scale, but all increasing. The ancient Chinese theory still envisaged successive superimpositions to give rise to new circles, which in turn could be grouped into large cycles. In practice, the different sounds were obtained by successive subdivision of bamboo canes (liu): the ratio of one rod to the next was alternately 3/4 and 4/3. Connected by the emperor Shunzhi (ca. 2250 BC) to the cosmological conception developed in the fourth millennium BC. C. by the mythical emperor Fu Xi, music became an important element of the Chinese ritual: a particular meaning was attributed to each sound and in order to fully grasp all the social, human and magical implications, the utmost care was taken in the search for an absolute perfection of intonation and timbre coloring.; a limited and in any case rigidly codified importance was attributed to the melodic and rhythmic component. In chamber and popular music, which developed parallel to the ritual one, melodies and rhythms were instead widely used and the pentatonic scale itself was partially transformed into heptatonic with the addition of other notes (full), but of much lesser importance than the other five, at least until the century. XIX. There were also attempts at temperament, the most important of which is due to Prince Zhu Zaiyu in 1596. The harmonic component, in the Western sense of the term, is missing in traditional Chinese music, and in the East in general: the melodic instruments and the voices proceeded to ‘unison or octave, but with ample possibilities for ornamentation (trills, passing notes, arpeggios, etc.). Polyphony was not even considered, even if there were often overlaps of several voices and drones in work or party songs. Chamber music was cultivated by philosophers and could be vocal or instrumental and in its sphere it developed towards the century. XIII a particular form of scenic-musical drama. Popular music was essentially made up of peasant and artisan songs and was expressed above all in the great festivals organized by the emperors or local dainobili. The various types of music were performed by special ensembles and at least from the century. II a. C. at the beginning of the present there were numerous orchestras in China with a specific destination (ritual, table, military, triumphal orchestras, etc.). According to listofusnewspapers.com, China is a country located in eastern Asia. The number of performers varied according to the type of orchestra and the musical interests of the individual ruling dynasties: however, there are reports of ritual orchestras made up of over 150 performers. The tools used were divided into eight species, according to the material they were made of: metal (bells), stone, silk (Currently there were numerous orchestras in China with a specific destination (ritual, table, military, triumphal orchestras, etc.). The number of performers varied according to the type of orchestra and the musical interests of the individual ruling dynasties: however, there are reports of ritual orchestras made up of over 150 performers. The tools used were divided into eight species, according to the material they were made of: metal (bells), stone, silk (Currently there were numerous orchestras in China with a specific destination (ritual, table, military, triumphal orchestras, etc.). The number of performers varied according to the type of orchestra and the musical interests of the individual ruling dynasties: however, there are reports of ritual orchestras made up of over 150 performers. The tools used were divided into eight species, according to the material they were made of: metal (bells), stone, silk (k’in or zither with 5 or 7 strings; sse or zither with 25 strings), bamboo (flutes), wood, leather (drums), gourd, terracotta. The orchestras that played in theatrical performances consisted mainly of two-stringed violas (eul-hû), supplemented by p’i-p’a (4-string piriform lute), yue k’in (moon-shaped lute), ti-tzu (8-hole transverse flute), drums, gong, etc. The composition of the chamber ensembles was very variable: in addition to the aforementioned theater instruments, also cheng (zither with a mobile bridge and 16 silk or metal strings), yang k’în (also called Chinese harpsichord, with 13 struck strings), hou k’in (2-string viola), san-hsien (3-string lute). In the twentieth century, the millenary Chinese musical tradition, investigated on the one hand by careful philological research which also began the recovery of the rich heritage of popular music, gradually underwent the influence of forms and expressions of Western derivation. After the rejection of everything Western, a particularly acute rejection in the years of the Cultural Revolution, there has been a progressive opening towards international musical experiences: among contemporary authors we can remember Qu Xiaosong (b.1952), Guo Wen Jing (1956) and Tan Dun (b. 1957). Although born in France to Chinese parents and now with a US passport, the cellist Yo Yo Ma (b.1955) deserves a mention, as he applied his extraordinary technical virtuosity to experimenting with the most varied experiences of contemporary music.