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*''Chinese/Japanese'': 胡琴 ''(hú qin / kokin)''
''Húqin'' is a category of Chinese musical instruments, spiked fiddles played with a bow. These include the two-stringed ''[[erhu]]'' (perhaps the most well-known of Chinese instruments), as well as similar instruments such as the ''[[jinghu]]'' used in [[Beijing opera]], and the four-stringed ''[[sihu]]''. Many other variations have fallen out of use or prominence.
The ''huqin'' was first introduced into China from the [[Mongols|Mongol peoples]], during the [[Yuan Dynasty]]. Unlike with Western bowed instruments like the violin and viola, ''huqin'' have their bow placed between the strings in such a fashion that it is essentially irremovable without removing the strings. It is sometimes said that this design derives from the Mongol desire to not lose their bows while carrying the instruments on horseback.
The ''huqin'' is played vertically, balanced on the knee, with the left hand performing the fingering, and the right hand wielding the bow.
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==References==
*Gallery labels, "Beijing Opera Orchestra," Musical Instruments Gallery, Metropolitan Museum.
[[Category:Poetry and Theater]]
[[Category:Art and Architecture]]