The female handpan band practicing in a park (Photographed by Feng Zhiyi)

“Is that a pan in their hands?”“It’s amazing. They can hit pans so well.” Recently, a group of women were hitting a beautiful melody with something shaped like an iron pan at Lanhujun Sports Park in Liangjiang New Area. The instruments they play are oddly shaped but have a very ethereal sound.

Members of the handpan band coming from all walks of life (Picture provided by the interviewee)

This“pan”, which everyone recognizes as a“UFO”, is a new type of percussion instrument called a“handpan”. It is learned that handpan was invented in Switzerland in 2000 and very few people in China play it, making it a very niche instrument.

Now, a group of women in Chongqing have also taken up this instrument, called“handpan”, and formed the first female handpan band in Chongqing.

The band is called“Seven Women Handpan”, with an average age of 36 years old, and they come from all walks of life, including music teachers, housewives, soft furnishing designers, kindergarten teachers and cosmetologists.

Handpan, a new type of percussion instrument (Picture provided by the interviewee)

The band leader, Xiaoxiao, said that the seven of them had been good girlfriends for many years and no one had previously thought that they could form a band across industries. She said,“We formed the band mainly because of the charm of the instrument - it is easy to get started and plays such beautiful melodies.”

After six months of study, the seven girlfriends have been able to play many beautiful pieces together on handpans. Now they often travel in groups with their instruments to play them in the nature. (Translated by Wang Huixin, Fathom Language Limited)

Editor:Jiang Yiwei