How did Ling Lun's bamboo pipes become associated with the origins of Chinese music?

According to legend, the association between Ling Lun’s bamboo pipes and the origins of Chinese music stems from his quest to establish a system of 12 lü, or fundamental pitches, that would bring music into harmony with the universe.12

Commissioned by the Yellow Emperor, Ling Lun traveled to the western border of China to find bamboo suitable for creating these tuning pipes. He cut the first pipe to an auspicious length, naming it the huangzhong ("yellow bell"), and determined the subsequent 11 pitches by mimicking the calls of the mythical fenghuang birds.12

While the legend provides a mythical origin, it reflects the historical development of a sophisticated music theory in China. Mathematically, the pipes were generated using specific ratios—3:2 for a fifth and 3:4 for a fourth—to create a standard pitch system. This pursuit underscored the profound cultural belief that music serves as a bridge between heaven and earth, essential for maintaining cosmic and moral order.12