Quxiang pipa 

 

 

“The quxiang pipa, or crooked neck plucked lute was imported from Persia during the Eastern Jin Dynasty (東晉317-420) and reached its climax in the Tang Dynasty (618- 907). The Dunhuang Pipapu (敦煌琵琶譜 [Dunhuang Pipa Music Scrolls], 933) found in the Dunhuang Cave along the Silk Road indicated how the bent neck & bear shaped pipa flourished in China. It was even exported to Japan and became the Japanese biwa. Furthermore, during this time the name “pipa” was generally understood as the bent neck & bear shaped pipa. Indeed the imported pipa became so much more popular than the indigenous ruanxian that it “became” a Chinese instrument. This is one of the many examples of how assimilation took place in China.” (So Hon To)