There are three reed instruments, the suona and guanzi both having double reeds and the sheng free reeds. The suona is related to the shawm and has a longish wooden body to which is fitted a brass bell. It was traditionally played mostly out of doors, but now has a place in every Han orchestra. It is strident in tone and often used in orchestral music to add power to peaks of emotion. A fourth instrument, the bawu, has a single free reed set in a flute-like body and is found mainly among the Iu Mien (Yi), Hmong (Miao) and Hani peoples in South-West China.

The guanzi is a form of keyless oboe, while the sheng (better known, perhaps, by its Japanese name of shoo) consists of an air-chest to which are fitted a number of vertical pipes. The pipes have free reeds at their lower ends, and the reeds vibrate when the airflow out of the pipe is blocked. The sheng is the ancestor of the mouth organ, concertina and accordion, the first and last of which have been introduced back into China. The sheng has been extensively modernised (though the form the modernisation should take is still a matter of debate), and in one or other of its modernised forms it is found in all Han orchestras. The guanzi is most often used in folk music.

DIZI
The Dizi is a transverse flute made of bamboo. Pitch is regulated by a set of holes along the tube. With a probable origin from Central Asia or Tibet where it was played on horse back as a morale-booster for the troops, the Dizi was first introduced into China around 187-140 B.C. It is used in many kinds of music - solo, opera, drama, songs and dances.

XIAO
Similar to the Dizi, the Xiao also has a history of over 2,000 years, and traces its origin to the Han Dynasty when it was called Giandi. It was in the Tang and Sung Dynasty, when the Dizi began to be played in an upright position that the name Xiao was adopted.
The ancient Xiao was made up of 16 or 24 bamboo pipes of various lengths, each with a hole at the top for the player to blow. These bamboo pipes were then placed onto a bird-shaped stand, an instrument which we now call Paixiao. The Xiao has a soft and leaving tone, which makes it a suitable instrument for the performance of lyrical works. However, it is also effective as both a solo instrument and ensemble instrument, and is often played in the accompaniment of song.

SHENG
With a history of over 3,000 years, the Sheng is one of the oldest Chinese instruments whose manufacture and use were documented in ancient Chinese history. The traditional Sheng is made up of 13 or 14 pieces of reeds, but the number of reeds of the modern Sheng varies from 21 to 32. As the Sheng can produce chords as well as single notes, it is effective as both a solo and accompanying instrument. Its pleasing and expressive tones are particularly appealing to the audience.

GUAN
The Guan is normally divided into the Northern Guan and Southern Guan, which vary in both structure and tone colour. The Northern Guan is made of wood while the Southern Guan is made of bamboo. The Guan has a very peculiar tone and is often used to add special colours to ensemble and orchestral music.

SUONA
The Suona is an ancient Chinese wind instrument with a history of more than two thousand years. It was already very popular in the Ming Dynasty. The Suona is made in a number of different sizes, with ranges ranging from soprano, alto to bass. It has a wooden body in the middle and a metal bell at one end and a double reed at the other. The modified Suona is now fitted with padded keys.
Noted for its high and brilliant tone, the Suona is effective in capturing the joyful atmosphere on festive occasions and is, thus, widely used as a leading instrument in festivals, weddings, as well as funerals. It is also used occasionally to accompany Chinese operas.