The Chinese yoyo was invented in the Ming Dynasty (1386 - 1644 A.D.). It evolved from the "Top" of the Han folk game equipment. The Chinese spinning top is a toy from ancient times. The Chinese yoyo started off made out of ceramic and wood. From there it evolved to being made out of bamboo, with different holes cut in it for different whistle pitches.  Now the most common are plastic Chinese yoyo's.

          The Chinese yo-yo has a long, thin axle with disc-shaped wheels while the Westernized version of the Chinese yoyo is a more cone-shaped design (which I use).
          In the Qing Dynasty (AD 1644-1911), playing Chinese yoyo developed into a popular Chinese yoyo juggling show. The Chinese yoyo jugglers created many new tricks and learned difficult skills. The performances were combined with music to make the act more intense. In the process of development, the artists not only performed with the traditional double-headed Chinese yoyo, but also designed the single-headed Chinese yoyo (shown at the right with heavier wood for balance on one side).
          The Qing Dynasty played a big role in the development of the Chinese yoyo. With simple equipment and a wide range of easy to learn tricks and techniques, the Chinese yoyo became fascinating and popular. At the same time, the number of people involved in playing Chinese yoyo has expanded, from children to jesters in palaces to ordinary people. There are now over hundreds of different Chinese yoyo tricks. Chinese yoyo continues to be very popular today.