Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove
Chángxiào 長嘯 or transcendental whistling was an ancient Daoist technique of long-drawn, resounding whistling that functioned as a yogic or transcendental exercise. A skillful whistler could supposedly summon animals, communicate with supernatural beings, and control weather phenomena. Transcendental whistling is a common theme in Chinese literature, for instance Chenggong Sui's (3rd century) "Xiaofu" 嘯賦 "Rhapsody on Whistling" and Ge Fei 's (1989) "Hūshào" 忽哨 "Whistling" short story. The most famous transcendental whistlers lived during the 3rd century, including the last master Sun Deng, and two of the eccentric Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, Ruan Ji and Ji Kang, all of whom were also talented zitherists.