Erhu: Traditional Chinese Music with a “Modern” Instrument

The Sonorous Strings of the Erhu

Making a erhu requires dozens of steps to complete. The erhu is a traditional Chinese bowed string instrument with a history of over a thousand years. The erhu originated from the instrument "xiqin" of the Xi ethnic group in northern China during the Tang Dynasty. It is a bow-stringed instrument that resembles a drum with strings, with a round soundbox and two strings, played with a bamboo bow. The Tang Dynasty poet Cen Shen's verse "The central army sets up wine for returning guests, accompanie