Sanxian
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The sanxian is a three-stringed traditional Chinese lute. It has a long fretless fingerboard, and the body is traditionally made from snake skin stretched over a rounded rectangular resonator. It is m
Possible sanxian (left) and pipa, from a 762-827 A.D. painting in the Mogao caves near Dunhuang―Grotto 46 Left interior wall, second panel. Also called cave 112.
Sanxian, ca. 1900, housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art
A sanxian
Xu Fengxia playing sanxian
Pipa
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The pipa is a traditional Chinese musical instrument belonging to the plucked category of instruments. Sometimes called the "Chinese lute", the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying
Sanxian
…older forms of spike lute were also found in ancient Egypt. Similar instruments may have been present in China as early as the Qin dynasty as qin pipa (pipa was used as a generic term in ancient China for many other forms of plucked chordophones) or xiantao (弦鼗), which the Qinqin and Ruan also come from…
A pipa from the late Ming dynasty
Relief sculpture from Gandhara showing a lute being played by a musician (right), 1st–2nd century AD
Musicians in a scene from paradise, Yulin Cave 25, Tang dynasty
Lute detail from a Tang dynasty painting on silk, 897 A.D.