Chinese Musical Instrument

Chinese musical instruments can be categorized into bowed string instruments, plucked string instruments, wind instruments, and percussion instruments. The term Chinese violin refers to the erhu, the most popular traditional Chinese bowed string instrument. Unlike a Western violin, however, the erhu has only two strings. The erhu also looks quite a bit different from a violin, with a very long neck and hexagonal body shape.

Chinese plucked string instruments are usually referred to as lutes or zithers, depending on the design of the instrument. One of the lutes, the Ruan, is often called the Chinese guitar, or the moon guitar. Other plucked string instruments buyers may encounter include the pipa, a four-stringed lute, and the guquin, a seven-stringed zither.

Two notable traditional Chinese wind instruments are the sheng, a complex instrument featuring bamboo pipes of varying lengths, and the dizi, a traditional Chinese flute. Chinese flutes may be found in a variety of materials, including bamboo and jade. Finally, Chinese percussion instruments such as drums, gongs, cymbals, and bells are popular with Western buyers. Vintage Chinese musical instruments may be evaluated much like other antiques, based on condition, age, rarity, historical value, and aesthetic appeal.