Guzheng

Chinese: 古箏 (gǔzhēng)

The guzheng is a traditional Chinese musical instrument, a zither closely resembling the Japanese koto. Unlike many other East Asian zithers, it employs metal strings, rather than silk ones, and has tuning pegs on the top board.

The zheng is smaller than many other zithers, and is higher in pitch. It is used both in court music and folk music, and is often associated with romantic subjects.

There are a variety of styles of playing the zheng; one common traditional playing style involves plucking with the right hand while manipulating the strings with the left hand, much like the dominant mode of playing koto.

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References

Gallery labels, Musical Instruments gallery, Metropolitan Museum.