English: This is a Chinese lute or moon guitar. The Yueqin gets its name from its round shape as ‘Yue’ stand for ‘the moon’ in Chinese. It is used by the orchestra for the Beijing opera and produces the loudest sound of the plucked lute family of Chinese instruments. It can be heard easily above the full Chinese orchestra.

Object description: This moon guitar is a chordophone which means it produces sound by the vibration of strings. It is made of wood, bone, metal, and cord. It has a flat circular body. A curved piece of wood extends from one side with four circular knobs that are connected to four plastic strings. The strings run along the wooden extension over the frets which are inlaid with bone. At the end is a round piece of wood with an incised shell decoration. History:

Legend suggests that the yueqin was invented in China during the Qin dynasty (221-206 BC). The traditional yueqin had strings made of silk but nylon or steel-wrapped nylon is commonly used today.