Xiao (flute)

In the oral traditions of the Xiao, practitioners and poets say its sound resembles the sweetness of the Phoenix's call, the king of birds in Chinese belief.

Usually, nylon wire bindings along the shaft are wrapped on which attempts to stabilize the bamboo and prevent cracking.

Some xiao have the blowing end entirely cut off, so the player must use the space between their chin and lips to cover the hole fully.

The qin xiao (琴箫; 琴簫) is a version of the beixiao, which is narrower and generally in the key of F with eight smaller finger holes, used to accompany the guqin.

A separate instrument, the paixiao (排箫; 排簫; páixiāo) is a panpipe which was used in ancient China and which, although it remains unusual, has recently had something of a comeback.

The Japanese shakuhachi and hocchiku, Vietnamese tiêu, and the Korean tungso and danso (also spelled tanso), are descended from earlier forms of the Chinese xiao.