Digital and physical re-creation of ancient Chinese bells: new understandings and discoveries

Abstract Previous research has focused primarily on replicating bells that were expected to resemble the original closely in terms of material, size, shape, and tone. There has, however, been no effort to use original bells as templates from which to re-create or re-design new bells that deviate sig...

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Main Author: Kin Sum Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Springer Nature 2025-01-01
Series:Humanities & Social Sciences Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-04133-8
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author Kin Sum Li
author_facet Kin Sum Li
author_sort Kin Sum Li
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Previous research has focused primarily on replicating bells that were expected to resemble the original closely in terms of material, size, shape, and tone. There has, however, been no effort to use original bells as templates from which to re-create or re-design new bells that deviate significantly in size, yet maintain the shape of the originals in order to address issues in the history of art and in the archeology of ancient China. Experimentation with ancient bells in this field remains largely untapped. This article proposes to re-create bells in enlarged and reduced sizes through casting, based on 3D-printed resin models that have been correspondingly scaled up and down, from a 3D model scanned from a 500 BCE bell that was excavated from Xinzheng in Henan province, China. The study seeks to answer a series of questions, including whether replication of bells was practiced in ancient times, how casters could predict the tones a bell would produce before casting, and how a set of bells used as a musical ensemble could have been developed over history.
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spelling doaj-art-785cdf09dc604d24bf696fba6a8b69ee2025-01-19T12:14:06ZengSpringer NatureHumanities & Social Sciences Communications2662-99922025-01-0112111510.1057/s41599-024-04133-8Digital and physical re-creation of ancient Chinese bells: new understandings and discoveriesKin Sum Li0Department of History, Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU)Abstract Previous research has focused primarily on replicating bells that were expected to resemble the original closely in terms of material, size, shape, and tone. There has, however, been no effort to use original bells as templates from which to re-create or re-design new bells that deviate significantly in size, yet maintain the shape of the originals in order to address issues in the history of art and in the archeology of ancient China. Experimentation with ancient bells in this field remains largely untapped. This article proposes to re-create bells in enlarged and reduced sizes through casting, based on 3D-printed resin models that have been correspondingly scaled up and down, from a 3D model scanned from a 500 BCE bell that was excavated from Xinzheng in Henan province, China. The study seeks to answer a series of questions, including whether replication of bells was practiced in ancient times, how casters could predict the tones a bell would produce before casting, and how a set of bells used as a musical ensemble could have been developed over history.https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-04133-8
spellingShingle Kin Sum Li
Digital and physical re-creation of ancient Chinese bells: new understandings and discoveries
Humanities & Social Sciences Communications
title Digital and physical re-creation of ancient Chinese bells: new understandings and discoveries
title_full Digital and physical re-creation of ancient Chinese bells: new understandings and discoveries
title_fullStr Digital and physical re-creation of ancient Chinese bells: new understandings and discoveries
title_full_unstemmed Digital and physical re-creation of ancient Chinese bells: new understandings and discoveries
title_short Digital and physical re-creation of ancient Chinese bells: new understandings and discoveries
title_sort digital and physical re creation of ancient chinese bells new understandings and discoveries
url https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-04133-8
work_keys_str_mv AT kinsumli digitalandphysicalrecreationofancientchinesebellsnewunderstandingsanddiscoveries