Ever since the ancient time, Chinese people had the saying that "when words fail, music speaks".

Music has always played significant roles in facilitating the progress of civilization, promoting exchanges and mutual learning, as well as enriching intellectual and cultural activities. As musical instruments are the medium through which music is played and performed, tracing their historical development can help us to reveal the history of music and the history of society in general.

As Chinese civilization started, there were wind instruments like the flute and whistle and percussion instruments like the bell and drum.

From the earliest dynasties until the Han Dynasty (202 BC-AD 220), the established system of rituals and music led to the creation of sophisticated musical instruments, which are exemplified by sets of grand chimes (zhong) and chime stones (qing).

Meanwhile, plucked string instruments like the qin and se zithers were popular among the literati of refined taste.

In the following dynasties, (AD 265-960) that followed, musical instruments coming from other cultures were widely introduced.

This exhibition contains more than 200 precious musical instruments. Treasures on display include a bone flute excavated at a Neolithic site at Jiahu in Henan Province, a set of bronze chime bells from the tomb of Chai Hou (late Spring and Autumn Period), and the process of making a zither.

All these reveal a picture of the evolution of ancient Chinese musical instruments and convey the cultural values of traditional Chinese music in promoting moral well-being, cultivating individual taste and entertaining the people.