An ancient wind instrument likened to a dragon’s eggs because of its odd shape, the early xun, or Chinese ocarina, was created out of mud or clay. Although it is impossible to verify most of the findings on the xun, all findings have indicated that the xun has enjoyed a long history.

The xun falls into the category of earth in the traditional bayin classifications of musical instruments based on eight kinds of materials - metal, stone, silk, bamboo, gourd, earth, hide, and wood.

A xun made from clay was found to be 7,000 years old in Zhejiang, making it the oldest xun artifact discovered.  The xun has also been found in archeological sites in Xi’an, Shanxi and Henan.  These xun were all made of clay, and were of different shapes – spherical, oval, fish-shaped, egg-shaped – among other forms.

The structure of the xun was eventually standardised; the later xun, made of clay, were all egg-shaped with flat bottoms.  The material used to make the xun also slowly diversified, from clay to stone, bone, ivory, porcelain and, in more modern times, plastic.  Previously, clay was always the preferred material for making the instrument.

The xun was mainly used in court music, though it was by no means exclusive.  It was also used among common folk.

The xun that were found then had a range of one to five playing holes. Today, the Chinese orchestra uses a xun that commands up to eight or nine playing holes, able to play a full octave.  Like the dizi, the xun also comes in various keys.