Music of the Huns

The Huns are known as one of the great ethnic minorities that embarked on the historical stage of the Mongolian Plateau. In terms of culture and arts, the Huns can be regarded as pioneers of the grassland culture of Chinese northern nomads.

* Folk songs

Since the Huns did not have their own set of characters, there are very few written records of their folk songs. Currently, only one folk song -- the famous "Song of Qilian Mountain" -- has been handed down.

Lyrics:

"Losing my Yanzhi Mountain,
Our women turn pale.
Losing my Qilian Mountain,
The livestock could not live."

In the second year of Yuanshou (221BC) during the reign of Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty (206BC-AD220), General Huo Qubing defeated the Huns troops, driving the ethnic group outside the Hexi Corridor. Having lost the luxuriant prairie along Qilian Mountain, the stockbreeding of the Huns suffered a great loss. This above folk song emerged under these circumstances.

* Instrumental music

The musical instruments of the Huns mainly included wind and percussion instruments, such as the hu jia (a reed pipe used by the northern tribes in ancient China), jiao (a bugle used in the army) and the drum.

Hu jia was a kind of reed pipe made of reed or wood. Blown vertically, the three-holed instrument produced a gloomy, sad timbre deeply loved by the Huns. With the many cultural and economic exchanges between the Han and the Huns, the hu jia was also introduced to the Central Plains.

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