Photo: screenshot

A bronze drum with yunlei (cloud and thunder) patterns, buried in the ground for over 1,000 years, has been discovered in Beiliu, South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Based on its shape, patterns and other visible features, researchers from the Beiliu City Museum have preliminarily identified it as a Beiliu-type bronze drum.

Researchers confirmed to the Global Times that the drum has now been ­transported to the museum for safekeeping. The drum, bronze in color, has a face larger than its body, with the drum head edge extending beyond the neck and folding downward to form an "eave." 

Its body is shaped like a raised round cake, with two pairs of ring handles decorated with braid patterns at the junction of the drum's chest and waist. The drumhead's center features an eight-pointed sun motif, surrounded by six frogs arranged clockwise along the rim. The body is divided into three sections with nine concentric bands, each decorated with cloud and thunder patterns.

"This is the first bronze drum unearthed in Beiliu since 1975," said Lu Juncheng, director of the Beiliu City Museum. The drum was discovered by a villager named Su Jianjun while clearing landslide debris behind his house. 

After receiving the report, the museum immediately dispatched staff to protect and excavate the site. To minimize potential damage, they used an excavator to clear the surrounding soil before carefully digging out the soil inside and around the drum by hand. Once fully revealed, the drum was found to be well preserved.

On-site measurements indicate the drum has a face diameter of 96 centimeters and a height of 55 centimeters, making it one of the more complete ancient bronze drums found locally. After classification and appraisal by higher-level cultural heritage authorities, the drum will be displayed in the museum's bronze drum exhibition hall, per the Guangxi News Network.

Named after bronze drums first unearthed in Beiliu, Beiliu-type bronze drums date from the Han (206BC-AD220) to Tang (618-907) dynasties and are renowned for their impressive size and distinctive design, which give them a significant place in China's bronze drum culture.

Historically known as "Tongzhou," or the "Hometown of the King of Bronze Drums," Beiliu has yielded more than 150 bronze drums to date. Among them is the largest known ancient bronze drum in the world, with a face diameter of 165 centimeters, a height of 67.5 centimeters and a weight of 300 kilograms. It is now housed in the Guangxi Museum of Nationalities.

As both a musical instrument and a ritual vessel in ancient times, the Beiliu-type bronze drum embodies the spiritual beliefs of ancient southern peoples, said Lu. 

"These ancient drums vividly record the daily life, customs and beliefs of our ancestors and serve as invaluable physical evidence for studying the region's history and culture," Lu said.