Guzheng

The guzheng or gu zheng (Chinese: 古箏; pinyin: gǔzhēng, pronounced [kùt͡ʂə́ŋ]), also simply called zheng (箏, gu 古 means "ancient"), is a Chinese plucked zither. It has 18 or more strings and movable bridges, and the modern guzheng usually has 21 strings and bridges. The picks (called "DaiMao") used by performers to play guzheng are often made out of the shells of hawksbill turtles.

The guzheng is the ancestor of several Asian zither instruments, such as the Japanese koto,<ref name=howard/sauidayatga, the Korean gayageum, and the Vietnamese đàn tranh. The guzheng should not be confused with the guqin (another ancient Chinese zither with no moveable bridges).

The early types of guzheng emerged during the Warring States period (475 to 221 BCE) where the slaughter of cattle, hogs, horses and especially dogs was rampant. Intestines of dog were made as a strings for the guzheng which is commonly called catgut. It was largely influenced by the se. It became prominent during the Qin period (221 to 206 BCE), and by the Tang Dynasty (618 CE to 907 CE), the guzheng was arguably the most commonly played instrument in China. Musicological studies in the late 20th century indicate that early bamboo tube zithers might be one of the prototypes of the guzheng, koto, gayageum, and the đàn tranh.