What is the guqin, please professional friends to explain

The guqin, also known as the yaoqin, yuqin, seven-stringed qin, one of China's oldest plucked instruments, the guqin is in the period of Confucius has been prevalent musical instruments, written history of more than 4,000 years, according to the "Records of the Grand Historical Records", the qin appeared no later than the period of Yao and Shun. the beginning of the twentieth century, in order to distinguish between Western musical instruments in front of the "qin" added the word "ancient", known as "guqin". In the early 20th century, in order to distinguish it from Western instruments, the word "ancient" was added in front of "qin" and it was called "guqin". The guqin is an ancient musical instrument that is still played in the study halls and on the stage. As the earliest plucked instrument in China, the guqin is a treasure of Han culture and a masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of mankind.