[Video/WeChat account: zgntrb]

Yu Dongbo, who was born in Nantong in 1981, has been working to promote the traditional Chinese musical instrument yue, an ancient short flute, over the past two years.

The flute is what Yu has been playing since he was a child and his old passion for the instrument was reignited by the discovery of the earliest flute from the Jiahu ruins, which dates back 9,000 years, in Henan province in 2001.

Yu Dongbo plays yue. [Photo/WeChat account: zgntrb]

He then decided to learn how to play yue from renowned flute and yue player and music historian Liu Zhengguo and participated in the restoration and sound detecting of bone-made yue relics with his teacher.

The yue unearthed from the Jiahu ruins were made with the ulnae of birds such as cranes and eagles, according to Yu. To make a more eco-friendly yue, Yu turned to technology to restore a piece of ancient culture – 3D printing.

With the help of 3D printing technology, Yu has accurately duplicated various bone-made yue relics from Jiahu ruins. By adding some bone powder to the 3D print materials, the duplicated yue has the almost same tone quality as the bone-made one.

Yu Dongbo holds a cardboard with the Chinese character yue on it. [Photo/WeChat account: zgntrb]

Yu has given public lectures and free performances to familiarize more people with such an ancient music instrument. He has also been invited to perform in more than 20 countries and regions, including the United States, Germany, Italy, and Japan, over the past two years.