Xinyang

City in southern Honan province, China, traditionally on a cultural divide between the plains and the hilly districts. The area has been settled since early times. Neolithic remains have been discovered in several sites, and important finds from the southern culture of Ch'u (722-220 BC) have also been made in the vicinity. Two large Ch'u tombs of the 4th century BC have been excavated, which included 13 bronze bells and many fine painted lacquers.

[Hsin-yang]. A district on the Huai River in southernmost Henan province, China. Two large Chu tombs of the 4th century bc were excavated at Xinyang Changtaiguan in 1957-8. Among the tomb furnishings were a set of 13 bronze bells and many fine painted lacquers. The bells were the first to be found in a large set in good enough condition for the musical scale of the set to be precisely determined; the lacquers included two impressive drum stands, the first of these typical Chu artefacts to be unearthed in scientific excavations. Larger arrays of such musical instruments have since been found, for instance in Sui Xian.