Members of the Cixi Celadon Ou Music Troupe perform at the igniting ceremony for the Hangzhou Asian Games flame in Liangzhu Ancient City in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, on June 15. [Photo/Ningbo Daily]

Celadon Ou Music from Ningbo, Zhejiang province was highlighted at the igniting ceremony for the Hangzhou Asian Games flame in Liangzhu Ancient City in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, on June 15.

The igniting ceremony kicked off with a gripping performance entitled "the Light of Liangzhu". The eight-minute performance revolved around Liangzhu Culture, which dates back 4,300 to 5,300 years.

It was inspired by the musical performance "Hear Liangzhu", which was created by the Cixi Celadon Ou Music Troupe. It recreated scenes of Liangzhu ancestors planting rice paddies and building houses. The performance's music featured Celadon Ou Music.

"Ou" refers to vessels such as cups and bowls. Celadon Ou Music is an ancient art performed using ceramic vessels and percussion instruments, accompanied by flutes, drums, bells and string instruments.

The art reached its zenith in the Tang and Song dynasties (618-1279) and regained popularity following the excavation of celadon musical instruments at the Yue Kiln Sites at Shanglin Lake in Ningbo in 1998.