Along with the bronze bells called bianzhong, they were an important instrument in China's ritual and court music going back to ancient times.

The tiger shaped stone bianqing unearthed from the Yin tomb in the village of Wu Guan in Anyang, Henan Province, is made of marble and has a history of more than 3000 years.

During the reign of the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing dynasty (1736-1795), the special bianqing (now collected in the temple of heaven in Beijing) were made of Xinjiang Hetian Jasper, with a zigzag shape.

A total of 41 chimes were unearthed from the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng in suixian County, Hubei Province.

In the second half of 1980, Hubei Provincial Museum cooperated with Wuhan Institute of physics to copy this set of bianqing from the early Warring States period more than 2400 years ago.