The
Han Chinese, who make up some 92% of the population of
China, play
heterophonic music in which the musicians play versions of a single
melody line.
Percussion accompanies most music, dance and opera. Han folk music thrives at weddings and funerals and usually included a
double reed instrument called a
suona and percussive
ensembles called
chuigushou. The music is diverse, sometimes jolly, sometimes sad, and often based on Western
Pop music and TV theme songs. Instrumental pieces played on an
erhu or
dizi are popular, and are often available outside of China, but
qin,
pipa and
zheng music, which is more traditional, are more popular in China itself. The qin is perhaps the national instrument of China, and its
virtuosos are stars. These include
Zha Fuxi,
Wu Wen'guang,
Lin Youren,
Wu Jinglue,
Wu Zhaoji,
Guan Pinghu,
Zhang Zijian,
Li Xiangting, and
Gong Yi. The zheng, a form of
zither, is most popular in
Henan,
Chaozhou,
Hakka, and
Shandong. The
pipa, a kind of
lute, believing introduced from
Arab areas during 6th century and improved, is most popular in
Shanghai and surrounding areas. ==References==