Rag-Dung, Extra Large

Approximately 72" in length fully extended. Telescoping 3 sections. Smallest height 29 1/2" compacted. The bell of the horn is 8 1/4 inches in diameter. Brass telescoping trumpets, called rag-dung, zangs dung or dung-chen are decorated with repousse brass cuffs dotted with red coral and turquoise stones, there is also repousse brass garlands on the bell. Although Confucianism remained the basis for the structure of government in China, it was Buddhism, introduced in the first century B.C.E., which flourished from the Han to the Tang (206 B.C.E.-C.E. 907). Among the instruments associated with Buddhism was the dung-chen, a long trumpet played for preludes, processions, and morning and evening calls to prayer. The trumpets like these were used in ensemble playing, while larger ones (12 to 15 feet) are used in processions. The large trumpets would be carried on the shoulders of other monks, or supported on boxes when they were played in processions. These trumpets were also played on rooftops to alert the villagers and ancestral spirits of upcoming feast days.