Zhù
A 5-string Zhù excavated from Marquis Yi’s Tomb in 1978. This wooden Zhu is 115 cm long, the head is 7 cm wide and the tail 6 cm wide. There are figurine and animal designs on it.
Zhù is China’s earliest percussion instrument, which is very similar to Zheng in form, but you have to strike it with bamboo strips. It was popular before Song Dynasty, during which time it totally disappeared. Gao Jianli was the most famous Zhu musician in the Warring State period. Gao was from the State of Yan and a very good friend of Jing Ke who was picked by the Prince of Yan to assasinate The first Emperor of Qin. On the day Jing Ke left, Gao and the Prince of Yan accompanied Jing Ke to the bank of Yishui River. To see Jing off, Gao played Zhu and sang such words: amid rustling wind and cold Yishui water, this warrior is leaving knowing there would be no return. Jing managed to call on the Emperor by the excuse of presenting of map of the State of Yan and he hid a dager inside the map, yet he failed to kill the emperor in the end. When the Emperor of Qin annexed the other states including Yan, Gao changed his name and hid himself at a place called Songzi, he worked as a servant at the wine shop. When he heard someone playing Zhu, he made some comments to himself, and this was reported to the owner of the shop, who questioned Gao for a reason of making comments. Gao went back to his room, got out his own Zhu and put on his former clothes and came back to play the Zhu and sang a few songs. Everybody in the hall was amazed by his skill. Since then he was being treated as an important guest and was asked to play Zhu at the houses of local residents of Songzi and people often was moved to tears hearing his playing. Since the Emperor of Qin liked Zhu very much, when he heard about what was happening at Songzi, he wanted to see Gao. Somebody told the emperor who Gao was, yet the Emperor pardoned Gao for what he did for Jing Ke, and only made Gao’s eyes blinded. So, Gao was able to play Zhu for the Emperor. After he had more contacts with the Emperor, he put lead into the Zhu, and tried to strike on the Emperor the next time he came, but he missed the target and was finally killed by the Emperor. Since then the Emperor never received anybody from the former six states.
