Is the dulcimer a musical instrument of China?

Dulcimer is a national musical instrument in China, but its origin is not in China.

Dulcimer was introduced from Persia at the end of Ming Dynasty, and was originally accompanied by Quyi, and formed many schools.

According to historical records, before the Middle Ages, a satellite was popular in ancient Arab countries such as the Sea of Azov and Persia in the Middle East. It has a trapezoidal or rectangular piano box, with dozens of steel strings on the panel, and a horse is supported on two-thirds of the strings, so that each string emits two notes of five degrees. This kind of Satellini is still circulating in Iran, Iraq and Syria.

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the friendly exchanges between China and West Asia and East Africa became increasingly close. Satellini was introduced from Persia to China by sea, which was only popular in Guangdong at first, and then gradually spread to Fujian, Zhejiang, Jianghuai and the Central Plains, and joined the ranks of accompanying rap music and local operas. Dulcimer is the main accompaniment instrument in many places, such as Shandong dulcimer, Xuzhou dulcimer, Anhui dulcimer, Guangxi Wenchang dulcimer, Guizhou dulcimer, Sichuan dulcimer and Yunnan dulcimer. Dulcimer is also used as an accompaniment instrument in local opera music such as Cantonese opera, Chaozhou opera, Han opera, Fujian opera, Yue opera and Shanghai opera.

At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, various forms of folk instrumental music appeared as independent music, and dulcimer became one of the main instruments of Cantonese opera, Jiangnan Sizhu and Shandong Qinqu.

Dulcimer has been circulated and evolved in China for nearly 400 years. No matter in musical instrument making, performing arts or music creation, it has the traditional characteristics and national style of China, and combined with local folk music, it has formed a number of schools with outstanding local and musical characteristics.