Suona

The suona, also called dida, laba or haidi, is a traditional double-reeded Chinese musical instrument. The suona's basic design originated in ancient Iran, then called "Sorna". It appeared in China around the 3rd century and it's also popular in parts of northern and southern China, including Shandong, Henan, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Northeast China, Guangdong, Fujian, and other regions. It has a distinctively loud and high-pitched sound, and was used frequently in Chinese traditional music ensembles, particularly in those that perform outdoors. It was an important instrument in the folk music of northern China, particularly in provinces of Shandong and Henan, where it has long been used for festival and military purposes. It is still being used, in combination with sheng mouth organs, gongs, drums, and sometimes other instruments in weddings and funeral processions. Such wind and percussion ensembles are called chuida (Chinese: 吹打; pinyin: chuīdǎ; Zhuyin Fuhao: ㄔㄨㄟ ㄉㄚˇ) or guchui (鼓吹; gǔchuì; ㄍㄨˇ ㄔㄨㄟˋ; this name refers to the suona itself in Taiwanese Hokkien). It was also common in the ritual music of Southeast China. In Chinese culture it was an essential element of ritual music that accompanied Daoist performances of both auspicious and inauspicious rites, i.e., those for both the living and the dead. One of the most famous pieces that uses suona as the leading instrument is called Bǎiniǎocháofèng (百鳥朝鳳), or "Hundred Birds Worship the Phoenix".