View source for Yangqin

*''Chinese/Japanese'': 洋琴、揚琴、楊琴、瑤琴 ''(yángqín / youkin)''

The ''yangqin'' is a Chinese style of dulcimer, a stringed musical instrument played with a pair of small bamboo hammers.

Developing out of instruments originally developed in Persia (or elsewhere in the Central Asia / Middle East region), the dulcimer is a relatively new one within the range of traditional Chinese musical instruments. It was first introduced to the [[Canton]] ([[Guangdong province]]) region only in the 17th century, after which it began to spread to the remainder of the country. In early modern ([[Tokugawa period]]) Japan, the sight or sound of a dulcimer was a rather rare and exotic thing.

Still, despite being relatively new, the dulcimer has evolved considerably within China, in the centuries since its introduction. ''Yangqin'' played by [[Ryukyuan embassies to Edo]] were likely representative of the style still then current in [[Qing Dynasty]] China, at that time, and yet they were quite different in size and shape from those which are standard in China today.<ref>Gallery labels, "The Sound of Ryukyuan Musical Instruments" 絢爛たる琉球楽器, exhibit at [[Shuri castle]], Naha, Okinawa, Dec 2016.</ref>

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