The most popular wind instruments are the dizi and xiao. Dizi is the transverse flute and xiao is the long flute.

The Dizi is the traditional Chinese flute. As only three keys can be played accurately on traditional instruments, most players carry a chromatic set. It can have a membrane over an extra hole to give the characteristic rattle effect, although some compositions call for this to be omitted. It is believed to have been brought in from Tibet during the Han Dynasty and since then it has been used for over the past 2,000 years in China. The player plays the Dizi by blowing across the mouthpiece and produces different notes by stopping the six holes found in the rod. The player uses several distinct playing techniques: fluttered tonguing, double tonguing, triple tonguing, combinations of tonguing techniques and fingering techniques. A skilled player will also use circular breathing. We bought this instrument in Zhengzhou.