zhangu
Illustration — The photo of a Chinese war drum The Zhangu (战鼓), or war drum, is a Chinese musical instrument. It is similar to the Tanggu (堂鼓) in appearance, but is lower in pitch, and known as the Biangu (扁鼓). It was an instrument used in ritual music and also popular with traditional wedding bands.
zhangu
- Field
- musical instrument
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Illustration — The photo of a Chinese war drum The Zhangu (战鼓), or war drum, is a Chinese musical instrument. It is similar to the Tanggu (堂鼓) in appearance, but is lower in pitch, and known as the Biangu (扁鼓). It was an instrument used in ritual music and also popular with traditional wedding bands.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for zhangu. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q8070483 · wikipedia · Zhangu
In this article
Appearance
Appearance
Zhangu has many different sizes according to its functions, generally, the diameter of the drumhead are 270mm, 330mm, 400mm, 460mm and 540mm and the height of the drum are usually 170mm, 200mm, 240mm, 300mm and 340mm. The drumhead is usually made of wood and leather; there are 2 to 4 metal rings at the waist of the drum. The player uses one or two sticks to play the drum. The Zhangu needs two men when played in the army march, with one man carrying the drum on his back and the other playing behind the first man.
Mongolian War Drum
Mongolian War Drum
The Mongolia war drum was called Guangu (罐鼓) in the ancient times, also known as Dagu (大鼓) or Jungu (军鼓). Nowadays this instrument is still popular among the eastern area of Inner Mongolia. Mongolian war drum has long history dating back to Genghis Khan (1162-1227), it had been popularly used for ritual ceremony and warfare. The Italian traveler and merchant Marco Polo wrote in his The Travels of Marco Polo about the Mongolian military matters: "before they go to a battle, all soldiers wait for the sound of the Guangu from their commander. When the commander’s drum played, most of the soldiers will play their own instruments and sing". There were cylinder-shaped and cone-shaped Mongolian war drums, the cylinder drum was placed on war chariot, while the cone drum was played by soldiers on the horses.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Zhangu”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q8070483: zhangu
General reference · Wikidata
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Collectables
20,755 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Zero-KWork
- ZeroRangerWork
- Zettai Fukuju MeireiWork
- zhaleikaTerminology
- zhengniTerminology
- Zhengzhou Nissan Automobile CompanyOrganisation
- zhonghuTerminology
- Zhongneng Vehicle GroupOrganisation
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own an object connected with zhangu?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.