Chinese classical musical instruments are thousands of years old, melodious, and of increasing interest to collectors. At an instrument shop in Taipei in the Republic of China's island province of Taiwan, a customer tries out a drum. (sound effect) Some drums are large and some small, just as in the West. (sound effect) These are Rao Po, similar to cymbals. (sound effect)
This girl is trying a Cheng, the Chinese zither. It has 16 strings stretched over a wooden sound box. (sound effect) This is a Pi Pa, or balloon guitar. (sound effect) Here we have a two-string Chinese violin (pause for sound effect) and this is the so-called "wooden fish," a hollowed out wooden block. (sound effect)
Musical instruments are handmade in small workshops. Here an artisan tries the Yueh Chin, or moon guitar, so called because of its lunar shape. (sound effect) Here is another Chinese violin (sound effect) and this is a Chinese flute. This is the San Hsien or three-stringed guitar. (sound effect)
(Live play) (Beginning from 96'27") Chinese musical instruments include the Sheng, made of wood and with bamboo pipes. It dates to 2852 B.C. You are listening to the Young Chinese Women's Classical Orchestra. Trained by Professor Liu I-chih of the Taipei Normal College, it has more than 100 members, all students or graduates of universities and colleges. Most of the girls are in their early 20s and have been playing for several years. They have performed in Hongkong and have been invited to countries in Southeast Asia. (Live play)