The Qin (Zither)The qin is the classical instrument of China.
Its origin is obscure. The present form, with seven unfretted
strings, probably emerged only in the late Han period (1st
century A.D.), although, according to legend, it is supposed to
have been played in the time of Confucius (6th century B.C.) or
even earlier. The zithers found in archaeological excavations
and seen in pottery models up to the Han dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D.
220) are all of the se type, as seen in the case of Han pottery
figures in the present exhibition. The earliest representations
of the qin in its present form are on decorated bricks found in
fifth-century tombs near Nanjing (see illustration). The
thirteen studs (hui) indicate finger positions. Strings of
varying thickness are made of twisted silk. Each part of the
instrument is identified by an anthropomorphic or zoomorphic
name, and cosmology is ever-present: for example, the curved
upper board of light wu-tong (paulownia) wood symbolizes Heaven,
while the flat lower board of h