Guzheng

The guzheng, also known as the Chinese zither, is a traditional Chinese instrument. The oldest zither ever found dated back to the Warring States period (Zhan Guo) and had 13 strings. The strings were once made of silk, but during the Qin dynasty, the strings started to be made out of bare wire such as brass. The zither first became popular in the Qin dynasty and, later on, became the most commonly played instrument during the Tang dynasty. Modern zithers have either 21, 25, or 26 steel and nylon-coated strings..They are 64 inches long, and mainly made from Paulownia wood. Other types of wood used to make a zither are usually for structural or decorative reasons. People who play the Chinese zither pluck the instrument either with their bare hand or with a plectra. A plectrum is a small flat tool used to pluck or strum a stringed instrument. When playing the zither, people can attach up to four plectrums per hand to help them pluck. Reading a zither’s music sheet is also quite challenging. Zither players have to learn how to play the instrument and how to read the music sheet. Although learning how to play the zither is hard, and you have to practice a lot to improve (like with all instruments), if you actually master the zither, you can play many beautiful songs. 

This is an image of a Chinese zither.

This is a zither music sheet.