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Konghou
Learn Chinese - History and Culture
Konghou, also called Kanhou, is an ancient plucked stringed instrument in China. There are mainly three kinds of Konghou: one is played lying flat, one is played upright and another one is the phoenix-headed Konghou.
As early as the Spring and Autumn (770-476BC) and Warring States (475-221BC) period, there appeared the rudiment of Konghou played lying flat in the Chu Kingdom in southern China.
Konghou was originally used in Yayue (court music), and was used in Qingshangyue (a music genre) in the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD). It was used in Yanyue (music played in court banquets) in the Sui Dynasty (581-618), and gradually prevailed among the ordinary people and in places inhabited by ethnic minorities.

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Pipa (Lute)
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The earliest form of pipa known appeared in the Qin Dynasty (221-207BC). It had a long neck, leather surface and circular sound box, and was held upright. Around the time the Qin was succeeded by the Han Dynasty, this instrument underwent a number of modifications and it evolved into the ruan, qinqin , three-string, yueqin , etc. All these forms of the pipa had the common characteristics of a straight neck and circular sound box. The crooked neck was in fashion from the time of the Wei Dynasty to that of the Tang Dynasty. Similar instruments, such as the guizi pipa, five-string and hulei were all-semi-pear-shaped, and were all referred to as "huqin ".
From the Tang and Song dynasties, the pipa underwent unceasing development, until it attained the form it has today: a semi-pear-shaped sound box, paulownia-wood top

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Harvest Drum
Learn Chinese - History and Culture
           
Harvest Drum is popular among regions of Northeast China, Inner Mongolia, Hebei and Anhui provinces. It's a kind of feature instrument used mainly by the Han and Manchu people.
It is said that the drum came into being in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and was named as Harvest Drum in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
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Xun
Learn Chinese - History and Culture
The only earthen musical instrument is a kind of ocarina called Xun. It can produce sound with a tamber similar to that of human voice, and is suitable for performing some lamenting aria. People in ancient times used the instrument to imitate birds' sound and ensnare them.

The oldest Xun that has been discovered in China up to now was made about six to seven thousands years ago. For instance, a conical Xun was discovered in the Hemudu of the Hangzhou Bay in Zhejiang Province (eastern China), the Xun without holes and the one-hole Xun were found in the Yangshao Culture site in Banpo Village in Xi'an (western China) and Xun was also discovered in Wanrong County of Shanxi Province (northern China), Yumen Huoshao Gou of Gansu Province (northwestern China) and Huixian County in Henan Province (central China).
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Liuqin
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a smaller version of pipa with four strings, which sound similar to mandolin.

Liuqin is played with a piece of spectrum, and is used to be accompany instrument for folk songs and local opera. However, in recent decades, Composer Wang Huiran made great contribution to its making and composed many pieces such that the liuqin also becomes a soloist instrument.

song: Spring comes to Yihe River

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Zhuihu (Bowed String Instrument)
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Zhuihu (Bowed String Instrument), also known as Zhuiqin or Zhuizi, is altered from Sanxian (a three-stringed musical instrument), can be used to perform solo and tutti. Since Zhuihu has a wide diapason, a soft sound and relatively
high sound volume, performers can use it to imitate the voice of human and animals.

There is one legend about the origin of Zhuihu. In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Emperor Kangxi forbad all the opera performances in the Forbidden City and artists had to earn a living on the street. One day, an artist's Sanxian was bitten by mice and the covering leather of the sound box got a hole in it. In order not to miss the performance, the artist had to use a thin wooden piece to replace the leather and used a bow from Huqin (two-stringed Chinese violin) to play the Sanxian. This musical instrument, that can not only play music but also imitate human voice, was later called Zhuihu.
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