10-21℃	Shanghai Chinese

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News Center     Bravo for High-tech(2008-09-22) ssued Time : The Chinese character "Fou" was actually new to many people. At the opening ceremony of Beijing Games, this ancient musical instrument presented its striking acoustic effect to the whole world. Long ago, ancient people started to categorize instruments based on the materials for the main sound producing part. "Gold, Stone (chimes), Earth, Leather, Silk, Wood, Gourd and Bamboo" are collectively called the eight groups of instruments. Fou is made from baked clay, and thus falls under the earth category. Historical records about this instrument were few, and the most notable one is in the Records of the Grand Historian-Lian Po and Lin Xiangru, which extols the patriotism, courage and wisdom of Lin Xiangru. The prototype of the 2008 Fou instruments used at the opening ceremony was the Fou inside the bronze Jian (big basin-like vessel used to hold ice) unearthed at the tomb of Yi, who was king of Zeng, in Hubei Province. The redesign produced a "high-tech Fou" which integrates the sound, light and electricity of modern times, sounds just like vigorous drums rather than a clanging clay-made instrument. This, together with the conjuring photoelectric effect, really amazed the spectators on site and before the TV.