Saixiao is a musical instrument of the Miao people. In the Miao language, it is called Zhanjian, which means a bamboo tube with a cork. The Han people call it saixiao. There are two main types of flute, small flute and big flute.

small Saixiao

Xiaosaixiao is a musical instrument of the Miao people. It is popular in Xingyi and Anlong in Guizhou Province, Longlin, Xilin, Napo in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Guangnan and Funing in Yunnan Province.

The tube body is made of bamboo, and the appearance is the same as that of the plug flute. The tube is 24 cm long, the outer diameter of the upper mouth is 1.6 cm, the inner diameter is 1.1 cm, and the outer diameter of the lower mouth is 1.4 cm and the inner diameter is 0.9 cm. There is a built-in cork in the upper end of the tube, and a rectangular sounding whistle is opened below the airway on the back of the tube, 3.1 cm away from the orifice. There are six sound-pressing holes on the front of the tube body, and the first hole is 3.3 cm away from the lower mouth. A sixth hole is opened from the pronunciation hole to 1/2 of the first hole, and the second to fifth holes are equally spaced between the first hole and the sixth hole.

When playing, blow vertically, press the three holes with the right hand and the three holes with the left hand. Use flat blowing or super blowing, range g1-g3. The flat blowing sound is crisp and whistling, while the super blowing sound is sharper. It is used for the social and love life of young men and women, and is mostly played by men.

big Saixiao

The big saixiao is a musical instrument of the Miao people. It is popular in the adjacent vast areas of Guizhou, Guangxi and Yunnan provinces.

The tube body is made of bamboo, the appearance is the same as that of the plug flute, the tube length is 68 cm, the outer diameter of the upper mouth is 3.6 cm, the inner diameter is 3 cm, and the outer diameter of the lower mouth is 3.1 cm and the inner diameter is 2.5 cm. There is a built-in cork stopper in the upper end of the tube, and a rectangular sounding whistle is opened below the airway on the back of the tube body, 5 cm away from the upper end. There are six sound-pressing holes on the front of the tube body, and the first hole is 10 cm away from the lower mouth. A sixth hole is opened from the pronunciation hole to 1/2 of the first hole, and the second to fifth holes are equally spaced between the first hole and the sixth hole.

When playing, blow vertically, press the three holes with the right hand and the three holes with the left hand. Use flat blowing or super blowing, range g-d3. The flat blow tone is deep and rich, and the super blow tone is sweet, mellow and expressive, and is good at playing beautiful and lyrical tunes. It is used in the social and love life of young men and women, and is mostly played by men.