Archive for category Chinese Traditional Art
Yueqin
Posted by ancient chinese culture in Music Instrument on January 12, 2012
Yueqin, also called moon guitar, moon zither or laqin, is a kind of traditional Chinese string instrument. It got the name of moon guitar due to its moon-shaped soundbox. It has a short neck and four strings which are grouped in two courses.
Originally, the strings are made of silk. Nowadays, nylon and nylon coiled wire are commonly used to make the strings. Read the rest of this entry »
Chinese Jinghu
Posted by ancient chinese culture in Music Instrument on September 26, 2011
Jinghu is a two-stringed fiddle in the Huqin family. It has a history of more than 200 years which can date back to the late 18th century.
Jinghu contains five parts, namely body, shaft, strings, friction tuning pegs and king tong (a small brass hook). The body is always made of bamboo, covering with snakeskin at the playing end. The whole instrument is about 50cn in length. Read the rest of this entry »
Sanxian
Posted by ancient chinese culture in Music Instrument on July 8, 2011
Sanxian, also called samsien in Japan, is a Chinese lute. The instrument was given the name because it has three strings (In Chinese, san means three and xian means strings).
The sound-body of sanxian is egg-shaped and made from wood. The surface of the body is covered with snake skin, just like erhu. A piece of plectrum is used to play the instrument. It can be made in different sizes for different purposes. Generally, the northern ones are larger, at about 122 cm in length, while southern versions are about 95 cm. Read the rest of this entry »
Liuqin
Posted by ancient chinese culture in Music Instrument on April 17, 2011
The Liuqin, also called tu pipa (literally means unrefined pipa), is a traditional Chinese instrument. Originally, it was made of willow wood and shaped like a willow leaf, therefore, it got the name of liuqin as in Chinese the word liu means willow. In ancient times, it was used in Jiangsu, Shandong and Anhui provinces.
The earliest version of the liuqin had only two strings with a half octave. During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the four-stringed version appeared and became popular at that time. In recent years, it developed into a five-stringed instrument. Read the rest of this entry »
Sichuan Opera
Posted by ancient chinese culture in Folk Music&Dance on April 8, 2011
Sichuan opera, also called Chuanju in Chinese, is a type of opera originating in Sichuan Province of China. It was listed as the state-level immaterial cultural heritage in 2006.
Sichuan opera has a history of about 1700 years which can date back to the Ming Dynasty (1368~1644).
The opera sounds beautiful and is composed of five tunes, namely Gaoqiang, Huqin, Kunqiang, Dengxi and Tanxi. Among them, Gaoqiang is the main performing style as it has abundant tune and euphonious aria.
The performing art of Sichuan opera has profound cultural foundation which forms a systematic and perfect performing process. Read the rest of this entry »





