The Pigeon Whistle: A Defining Sound of Old Beijing (2019)

Summary

IF you have ever watched a movie that featured old Beijing, there is a good possibility that it contained a scene with a flock of pigeons flying over quadrangular dwellings (siheyuan), giving off a uniquely harmonic buzzing sound as they flew by. That sound is what local residents remember when they think of old Beijing. As one saying about Beijing puts it, in Beijing you can find “fermented soybean drink, deep-fried dough sticks, the Bell and Drum towers, blue skies, white clouds, and pigeon whistles.” Every city has unique sights and sounds that define it, and the “sound of old Beijing” is the pigeon whistle. Pigeon whistles (also called pigeon bells) are whistles that are tied on the tails of pigeons so that when they fly, the air that flows through the whistle creates a harmonic sound. Over the last several centuries, Beijing residents have liked to raise pigeons and let them soar through the skies every day. Regardless of whether it is a windy or sunny morning in spring or a cloudless day in late autumn, people can always see a flock of pigeons flying around in the sky and hear the melodious sound that they make while they fly. For this reason, the sound of pigeon whistles has become one of the symbols of Beijing, and was called by the renowned artist of Peking Opera Mei Lanfang “a symphony in the sky.” Up until the 1950s, pigeon markets in Beijing were very active, and pigeons could also be purchased at many temple fairs. Beijing pigeon whistles are tied onto the tail feathers of pigeons. But with the passing of time and advancement of urban development, fewer and fewer people in Beijing are raising pigeons. Consequently, the sight of pigeons flying around with their accompanying harmonic sound is becoming increasingly rare. Pigeon whistles today have become a collector’s item and a memory of the past. In 2014, the art of making Beijing pigeon whistles was added to the list of Beijing’s intangible cultural heritages. Tracing the History The art of making pigeo...