China
Chinese

Paulownia, woods, mother-of-pearl, metal strings, metal
Mid-Late 20th century
Length: 65.5 in, Width: 13.5 in, Depth: 5.5 in
Chordophones – Zithers

The guzheng or zheng is a Chinese plucked zither. This modern guzheng with 21 strings and 21 moveable bridges, is 64 inches long, and is tuned in a major pentatonic scale. The large, resonant soundboard mounted on two portable folding stands, is made from Paulownia wood. Other woods and mother-of-pearl are used as inlay for structural or decorative (phoenix birds) reasons. The guzheng is played by plucking the strings with fingerpicks worn on one or both hands. It is ancestral to several other Asian zithers such as the Japanese koto, the Korean gayageum and ajaeng, the Mongolian yatga, the Vietnamese đàn tranh, the Sundanese kacapi and the Kazakhstan jetigen. The oldest known guzheng had 13 strings and dates possibly during the Warring States period (475-221 B.C.E.).  During the Tang Dynasty (618-907 C.E.) it had become the most popular played instrument in China.  The guzheng should not be confused with the guqin, a Chinese zither with 7 strings played without moveable bridges.