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Chinese Instruments


Pipa                                                                            Erhu                                             Dizi   


PIPA

The pipa is an ancient Chinese string instrument. The instrument was very popular as entertainment in court banquets. Many Chinese emperors even wrote music for the pipa.

ERHU

The erhu is another ancient Chinese string instrument. The bow is made of horsehair tied to a bamboo stick. You can hear pieces written for the erhu in Chinese operas.

DIZI

The dizi, a woodwind instrument, is the Chinese version of the western flute. It can be used both as a solo instrument or as part of an orchestra in Chinese operas. Like with the flute, sound is created by blowing on the side.

GUZHENG

The guzheng  is an ancient Chinese string instrument made of seven silk strings stretched across a wooden body. Like the pipa and the erhu, the guzheng has been a very important musical instrument in court music since the Han Dynasty.

Check that you understand what these words mean in this document
Court: the house of a king or queen, the palace. 
Banquet: a formal dinner usually, in honour of somebody. 
Court banquet: a fomal dinner held at the king's/queen's palace.
Bow: the wooden stick with horsehair that is pulled across the string.