Written by: Claris Lam
Mar 18, 2025
Introduction
What are the origins of drum circles? Drumming has deep cultural roots in many parts of the world. In our previous article, we discussed the Indigenous American origins of drumming. This one will cover Chinese drumming traditions.
Drumming in Chinese Culture
When someone brings up drum circles or participates in one, a main question that comes up among many first-time participants is: “What are the origins of drum circles?” Drumming has deep cultural roots in many parts of the world. This third part will discuss the Chinese origins of drumming.
In China, traditional drumming is primarily utilized for lavish festivities, including weddings, historic dates and significant national holidays. Drumming is a group activity and often involves 10 or more percussionists. While similar to Western notions of “drum circles”, these groups often follow a very prescribed and choreographed routine. In this sense, Chinese drumming is a collective action. Aside from adding complexity to the rhythm, other players are often used to add “volume” and “presence” to the performance.
Chinese drums are constructed out of a stretched animal hide over a hollow vessel. Most traditional drums are played with two bamboo sticks tapering at the ends. The instrument and instrumentalist are both ornately decorated in cloth and attention-grabbing colors due to its Chinese drumming’s celebratory nature. During a performance, a drummer often participates in choreographed movement and chanting to engage and entertain the audience further.
In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the Fou drum was utilized by 2008 drummers. The Fou drum is an ancient Chinese percussion instrument derived from clay potteries and bronzeware. The Fou drum originated from the Xia or Shang dynasties. . The Fou as an instrument was confirmed by nearly 500 musical instruments being discovered in the Tombs for Nobles of the Yue State, Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, including the Fou.
Though drum circles have their roots in African, Indigenous and Chinese traditions, there are also other cultures that include drum circle traditions. Drum circles may have been popularized from specific cultures more than others, but it does not mean that participation in drum circles are exclusive to people within those specific cultures. Knowing the cultural roots of drum circles leads to a greater appreciation and overall understanding of drum circles, and more opportunities to utilize its restorative and celebratory impact on others.
Published March 18th, 2025
Sources
About the Author
Claris Lam
Claris is passionate about making grand ideas accessible to a wider audience. She has written articles about emerging environmental technology and research, lifestyle, studying, and career advice, and anime and manga for several organizations including Sustainable Waterloo Region (SWR), TalentEgg, and Comic Book Resources (CBR). When she’s not writing informative articles, you can find her playing the piano, pipe organ or violin, writing new fiction and poetry books as an indie author and poet, or reading.