Clay, a versatile material that turns into all kinds of objects when married with water and fire, is most often associated with pottery, which has thousands of years of history in China and other parts of the world.
The xun – pronounced huen in Cantonese – a flute shaped like an egg but with a flat bottom, is the signature clay instrument of modern Chinese orchestras.
Modern examples have multiple finger holes, but the earliest surviving sample, unearthed at an archaeological site in Zhejiang province that dates to 5000BC, has only one finger hole.
The instrument is similar to the ocarina used in Western music, in that both are small, handheld flutes. However, the xun does not have a protruding mouthpiece, and it is always made with clay, whereas the ocarina can be made from a variety of materials.
