Musical to reproduce sound of ancient flute at coming festival

SHANGHAI - Chinese musicians are rehearsing a musical to reproduce the sound of an ancient bone flute at the upcoming Shanghai Spring International Music Festival in May.

Chinese flute virtuoso Tang Junqiao and her team took a year to make the replica, which best resembles the sound of the Jiahu bone flute, thought to be 8,000 years old, which was unearthed in central China's Henan Province in 1980s. The multimedia musical, Flute: Sound of Nature, will premiere during the three-week music festival.

"The musical not only tells the legendary story of the Chinese flute, but also demonstrates many Chinese cultural and art elements," says Tang, who acts as the leading lady in the play.