The Gong Show
I believe the first time I ever saw or heard Chinese gongs was as a small child when I had happened to catch a glimpse of The Gong Show on TV. Even at that young age, I believe I simply saw it as a show of silly people doing silly things being judged by another group of people not all that less silly. It’s too bad that that was my first impression of gongs, as they are actually meant to be distinguished instruments. In China, gongs were originally used as part of marriage ceremonies and other processions and festivals of both religion and the state.