Xun is one of the oldest musical instruments in China that has approximately seven thousand years of history.

It is said that the xun originated from the hunting tool of the stone meteor. During ancient times, people often tied a stone or mud ball to the rope that was used for hunting wild animals. Some of the balls were hollow, which allowed it make many sounds when thrown. Most people found it enjoyable and learned how to blow air into it. Gradually, the stone meteor became the musical instrument we know as xun.

The earliest xun was made of stone or bones, but later it became earthen. Also, the forms varied in many ways. For example, it can be shaped like a ball, pear, fish, the flat circle or ellipse.

Xun is an egg-shaped, holed wind instrument. Initially it had only one hole, but afterwards it began to have more holes. Finally at the end of the 3 century BC there appeared an instrument with six holes.

Professor Caozheng from the Chinese Conservatory of Music has been trying to imitate the ancient earthen xun since the end of the 1930s. Later, Professor Chenzhong at the Tianjin Conservatory f Music created a new version with nine holes. The new instrument not only has kept the original form and tones, but also expanded its range and become louder. The nine holes are arranged in a free order, which is convenient for performing. Very soon, Zhao Liangshan, a student of Chenzhong from the Song and Dance Ensemble of Hubei Province, developed another new type with ten holes, which made up for the alt performances.

The xun instrument is usually used in making royal music in Chinese history. There are two kinds of xun. One is shaped like an egg (smaller but louder) and the other is often played along with another kind of pipe instrument called chi. Chi is an ancient Chinese musical instrument that is made of bamboo. Some descriptions about xun can be found in shijing, the earliest poetry in China.