>> The xiao is said to have been invented during the Han dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE) and is an end-blown flute measuring approximately twenty nine and a half inches long with a U-shaped notch at one end to serve as the blowing edge. It was traditionally made of coper, jade, or marble because these materials were thought to be less liable than wood to be affected by changes of temperature. Nowadays, it is made of bamboo. The flute has five finger holes and extra holes at the lower end that determine the tube’s length. The instrument has range of approximately two octaves. The term xiao may appear with a prefix to indicate a regional variation: dongxiao, of southeast China and Taiwan or the yuping xiao of Guizhou which, like the Shanghai xiao, is soft and is suited for accompanying the qin.