Han Chinese music wouldn’t be the same without the suona….
The most prevalent ethnic group, with almost ubiquitous music, is the Han, who make up more than 90% of the population of China. Traditional Han Chinese music is “heterophonic,” meaning musicians will play songs that are a version of one melodic line, and, like the Mandarin language, it’s tonal, implying that the music’s shifts from one tone to the next change the music’s meaning. Han folk music is still popular today at life cycle events like traditional Han-style weddings, and often includes a soloist on an oboe called a suona, which you really have to see to believe.
