Two sets of restored bien chung (brass bells) and bien khanh (stone gongs), royal court music percussion instruments, were handed over to Imperial Relics Preservation Center in Hue, Vietnam’s ancient capital Wednesday.

The instruments were restored with the cooperation of experts from Vietnam and the National Institute of Traditional Art Performance of South Korea. They had fallen into disrepair in the early 20th century.

According to HIRPC, the instruments, including 12 brass bells and 12 stone gongs, originating from China’s ancient royal music, are arranged in order of pitch. They were used in Hue royal orchestra under the Le Dynasty (1427-1788) and Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945).

Later, the instruments will be given to the Hue Royal Traditional Arts Theater to be used in traditional rituals during Hue festivals.