The large percussion instrument of the Han ethnic group in ancient China, the chime bell, originated in the Zhou Dynasty and flourished during the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period until the Qin and Han Dynasties. China was the earliest country to manufacture and use musical clocks. It is made of bronze and arranged in order of pitch by flat round clocks of different sizes. It is hung on a huge clock stand and struck with T-shaped wooden hammers and long rods, which can produce different musical sounds. Because each clock has a different pitch, striking according to the music spectrum can play beautiful music. Hang a set of copper bells with different tones on a wooden frame, and have the maid strike and play music with a small wooden mallet.

The bronze bell of the Zhou Dynasty, circa 5th century BC, was unearthed in Henan, China and is now in the British Museum in London. The bronze bell was a relatively common percussion instrument in ancient China, appearing in the early Western Zhou Dynasty, and its form evolved from the crown. The basic form is a suspended handle on the plane of the upper part of the flat resonance box with sharp sides. From the shape of the bronze bell can be divided into two kinds, namely Yong bell and button bell, Yong bell hanging way for oblique hanging, and button bell for straight hanging. A number of bells with different frequencies are listed on the frame in order to form a playable scale, called a "chime".