Chinese music is as old as Chinese civilization, as shown by instruments that were excavated from the archaeological sites of the Shang dynasty (c. 17th - 11th centuries BC). Ancient Chinese philosophers believed that music was meant not to entertain but to purify one's soul. Traditionally, it was also believed that its sounds reflected the harmony of the universe, hence its use in many imperial court ceremonies and rituals.

China's old Confucian ideology frowned on music performed solely for entertainment; thus, musical performers were relegated to an extremely low position in Chinese society. However, since the 20th century the Chinese have come to recognise their musical traditions as forming a distinct part of their cultural identity, while the many Chinese instruments borrowed from other peoples reflect the value of continuous cultural exchange in Chinese history. Building on the traditional ensemble format in Chinese music, larger Chinese orchestras were created for the first time to fuse the unique sounds of Chinese instruments with the depth and scale of the Western symphony orchestra.

Melody and tone color are prominent expressive features of Chinese music, and great emphasis is given to the proper articulation and inflection of each musical tone. Most Chinese music is based on the five-tone, or pentatonic, scale, but the seven-tone, or heptatonic, scale, is also used, often as an expansion of a basically pentatonic core.

The Chinese orchestra is similar to the symphony orchestra in comprising four main sections:

Woodwind
Plucked Strings
Bowed Strings
Percussion

In place of the Western brass section, the Chinese strings are divided into two, based on the style of playing. However, technically-speaking the bowed string instruments can occasionally be plucked to achieve certain effects, while the yangqin (classified under plucked strings) is not plucked but struck with sticks in the style of a dulcimer.

Some Western musical instruments like the cello, double bass and timpani have also been incorporated to make up for the lack of traditional Chinese bass instruments.

Click on each of the four links above to read about the instruments that are played in each section of the orchestra, along with some others that are more rarely seen.