The words yangqin describe a dulcimer played with rubber-tipped sticks.  Essentially a hammered instrument rather than a plucked one, the yangqin, which is shaped like a trapezoid box, has strings that come in sets.  A set of strings comprises four or five individual strings that have been tuned to the same pitch; long bridges with plastic, ivory or metallic wired tips support the sets.

It is believed that the instrument originated in Central Asia but was introduced to China by sea-faring European traders at the end of the Ming Dynasty (around AD 1600); this is evident from the popularity of the yangqin in the coastal trading regions around Guangdong.  The instrument later became common throughout China, gaining acceptance in regions as far as Tibet and Xinjiang.

In the past, the folk yangqin only possessed two bridge sets and three rows of strings.  As such, the range of notes that could be played on the instrument was limited. After the liberation of China, the yangqin underwent various reformations, which led to the creation of the instrument used in the Chinese orchestra today – the revolutionised yangqin.

The modern yangqin, currently possesses four bridge sets. The bridge sets long and usually made of wood, consist of peaks and cavities.  A single bridge set consists of seven to ten peaks, which support sets of strings; cavities are concaves found along the bridge sets.

The sounds of the yangqin are produced by striking the sets of strings using bamboo sticks with hammer tips. On a yangqin, a set of strings is supported by one bridge peak.  As such, striking a set of strings produces a note.  It is this instrumental characteristic of playing sets of strings that gives the yangqin its reverberating and unique tonal quality.