What is erhu?

Erhu, also known as "Huqin", appeared in the Tang Dynasty and is called "Xiqin", which is a folk musical instrument in the north. It is generally believed that today's Huqin is developed from Xiqin, and now it has become a unique and attractive stringed instrument in China. It is not only suitable for expressing deep and sad content, but also suitable for describing magnificent artistic conception. Erhu is one of the main bowstring instruments in China national musical instrument family. The word "Huqin" appeared in the Tang Dynasty. At that time, the western regions and northern nationalities were called Hu people, and Huqin was a general term for musical instruments imported from the western regions and northern nationalities. After the Yuan Dynasty, in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Huqin became the general name of stringed instruments. Concertos such as Two Springs Reflecting the Moon, Rivers that Make People Tears, Fantasia of Sanmenxia with surging emotions, Fantasia of the Great Wall and Horse Racing are all outstanding representative works. Erhu developed into a solo instrument in the 1920s, which was inseparable from Liu Tianhua's contribution. After the innovation of many famous artists, erhu has become one of the most important solo instruments, and it is also an important instrument in the string part of a large ensemble.