The erhu originated in the Tang Dynasty and has a history of more than a thousand years. It first emerged among a minority ethnic group in the ancient northern regions of China, where it was then called "Xi Qin." Scholar Chen Yi from the Song Dynasty recorded in the "Book of Music," "Xi Qin originally came from Hu music..." The poem by Tang Dynasty poet岑Cen Shen, "The central army sets wine for returning guests, with Hu Qin, pipa, and Qiang flute," shows that Hu Qin had already started to spread during the Tang Dynasty and was a general term for stringed instruments and plucked instruments from both Chinese and foreign origins.
By the Song Dynasty, Hu Qin was renamed "Ji Qin." Scholar Chen Yuanjing from the end of the Song Dynasty recorded in the "Shilin Guangji" (Extensive Records of Matters): "Ji Qin was originally made by Ji Kang, hence its name 'Ji Qin.'" The great scholar Shen Kuo from the Song Dynasty also recorded in the "Complementary Brush Talks on Music and Law": "During the Xining period, at an imperial banquet, the court performer Xu Yan played the Ji Qin. When one string broke while he was serving wine, Xu Yan did not replace the instrument but finished the piece with just one string." This indicates that there was already a high level of playing skill during the Northern Song Dynasty. Xu Yan continued to play for the emperor and ministers even after one string broke, which would have been impossible without proficient technique. Later, Shen Kuo also recorded in the "Dream Brook Essays," "The horse-tail Hu Qin follows the Han wind eastward, its melody still laments the Chanyu. Do not shoot the returning geese with your bent bow, for the returning geese no longer carry messages today." This shows that horse-tail Hu Qin already existed during the Northern Song Dynasty.
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