Chinese Yo-Yo

The bamboo “empty bell” is described in Records of Scenes at the Capital from the Ming dynasty (1386-1644 A.D.):

“The two ends are round saucer shapes. In the middle is a horizontal piece of wood. Mount it on a string and twirl with a vibrating motion. It emits a humming sound.”

This was a game played by boys and girls in the spring, “when the willow leaves turns green.” It became particularly popular in the North. There is even a poem about it.

Cut bamboo in the shape of a hip drum.
Pull both ends of the string slowly, gently!
When the wind blows, it spins like rushing water.
In the mountain temples, the sound of bells can be heard.

This describes the single-bell form, which looks like a top with a handle. The double-bell looks like two wheels on an axle.



Children playing with the Chinese yo-yo at the 1997 Chinese Summer Festival.

Pull-bells also differ in the sounds they make. The pitch is determined by the number of holes in the pull-bell. The size and thickness also affect the sound. The large diameter of “vibrating bells” produces a “wong-wong” sound. Bells with small sound holes are called “echo-bells.”

Expert players can do tricks like “A Wild Goose Lands on the Flat Beach” and “The Golden Cicada Casts off Its Shell.” As you might expect, “Rise Upward to the Blue Clouds” involves tossing the ball a yard or more into the air.