The Development of China Drum

China, together with Mesopotamia, ancient Egypt and ancient India, is the birthplace of the earliest drums in the world. Historically, China drums spread to neighboring countries, such as North Korea and Japan, and also absorbed many foreign drums. The traditional drums in China are the mainstream in the Central Plains, and the drums of ethnic minorities in the border areas are influenced by both traditional drums and foreign drums, especially Arabian and Indian drums.

Most of the traditional drums in China originated from the Central Plains, and there were more than 20 kinds before Qin and Han Dynasties. Although they vary in size and height, they are almost all of thick waist type. At that time, it was used for poetry, music, dance, labor, sacrifice, war and celebration. From the Qin and Han Dynasties to the Qing Dynasty, almost all the original traditional drums in the Central Plains were preserved and developed, while foreign drums dominated by Arabia and India were popular in the Central Plains for a long time and occupied an important position, but gradually declined or even lost in the later period, leaving only some unknown records in the literature, such as eaves drum, Qi drum, chicken drum, Jie drum, Ala drum, Dutan drum and Maoyuan drum.