This lavishly illustrated volume focusesattention on the seven important qin zithersin the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M.SacklerGallery. The instruments date fromthe period between the late Middle Ages andmodern times. The current assessment ofearly archaeological finds extends the originsof qin instruments back to the Bronze Ageand leads to a new approach.

Yang Yuanzheng describes three eras in the development of theqin zither and its cultural environment. He carefully analyses theconstruction of the instruments and questions previous assumptionswith regard to age and origins. These insights, the cultural significanceof the qin zithers and the unique nature of the instruments in thetwo galleries make this volume essential reading for art historians and music archaeologists as well as lovers of this instrument with ist gentle sound, which can mostly be heard in classical Chinese music.