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Yangqin from China

Yangqin (China), 19th and 20th centuries. Photo by Rafael Vargas. Barcelona Music Museum.

 

Yangqin (China), 19th and 20th centuries. Photo by Rafael Vargas. Barcelona Music Museum.

 

The trapezoidal shape of the yangqin and manner in which they are built are closely related to the Persian santur from the 14th to the 16th centuries and the European psalteries of the 17th and 18th centuries. The name comes from the joining together of two words: yang, meaning 'foreigner', and qin, a generic term that applies to string zithers. It is used in instrumental groups in the south of the country.

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