Pai Xiao played an important role in both the advocacy of the Han Dynasty and the music of the Sui and Tang Dynasties. Sui is the predecessor of the later pan flute. In the Zhou Dynasty, Xiao and Sui were mentioned by poets and included in the Book of Songs. In the classification of ancient musical instruments, the pan flute is listed as a bamboo musical instrument. In the era of Yu and Shun, there was a music and dance called "Xiao Shao", which was mainly played with the pan flute. In ancient times, the pan flute, like chimes and chimes, was a very popular musical instrument. From the Spring and Autumn Period to the Qin and Han Dynasties, the pan flute was widely circulated among the people, and it occupied a very important position in the advocacy of the Han Dynasty.

The pan flute occupies an important position in the court music of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Sui and Tang dynasties. Especially in the nine and ten pieces of music in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, there are Qingle, Xiliang, Gaoli, Qiuci, Shule and Anguo and other music groups.

The pan flute has been spread and developed through the ages, with different shapes and more distinctive names, such as "Di Xiao", "Ya Xiao", "Song Xiao", "Shun Xiao", "Xiao", "Lai" and "Bizhu" Wait. In addition, the pan flute is also known as "sentient flute", "phoenix wing", "short flute", "cloud flute" and "Qin flute".

During the prosperous Tang Dynasty, the Chinese pan flute spread to Japan. Up to now, two relics of panpipes from the Tang Dynasty in China are still preserved in the Shoso-in of Todaiji Temple in Nara, the ancient capital of Japan. One is 12 tubes, made of rafters and leather straps intertwined, and is 30.5 cm high; the other is 7 tubes, 23.5 cm high. Both of them were broken, and the old tubes were stuffed with paper plugs to facilitate tuning. They were repaired and restored, and their shapes were very strange.

With the increase in the variety of Chinese national musical instruments and the influence of the continuous introduction of Western musical instruments, the pan flute is difficult to meet the needs of the development of ethnic, folk, opera and rap music due to its narrow range. The band disappeared.