Mechanical clocks and music automata from Europe entered into the Chinese imperial collections from the 17th century onwards.The first examples might have been gifts by the Jesuit monks.Very soon, however, further ways of acquisition became common, such as targeted buying from European merchants in the port of Guangzhou, or even confiscations of properties of discredited Chinese officials.During the reign of Qianlong emperor (1736-1796) such objects of the imperial collections were maintained and repaired in a special institute.This experience was the basis for installing production activities of mechanical clocks and music automata in imperial China.The Chinese historical sources denote the combination of mechanical clocks and music automata with the name zì míng zh(o)ng ("clock that sounds by itself).Precisely the musical function had the higher priority in repairing and maintenance interventions in the imperial institute-without caring for consequences of such interventions on the clock precision.This is one of the observations during the recent restoration campaign of several clocks/music automata in the 2010s in the Museum Speelklok in Utrecht, Holland.The present study focuses on the evidence obtained during the restoration work in Utrecht, and compares it with data from Chinese sources, as well as with evidence concerning similar devices in the collection (Kunstkammer) of the Russian char Peter I the Great.The comparison enables a better insight in the priorities when dealing with these devices in the Qing imperial workshops.