Western Influences on the Early Chinese Qin-Zither

摘要

Ancient musical migrations transfer various amounts of features. At one extreme is the total importation of instruments and all their paraphernalia. It is exemplified by the extensive transfer of instruments, melodies, and societal function during the height of the Silk Road. Similar mechanisms brought mainland music to Buddhist Japan during the first millennium CE. Chinese emperors would send gifts to Japan where they would exert great influence. Many of the instruments stored in the Shosoin Treasure House, Nara, provide most valuable examples. These show Chinese conditions during the seventh to eighth centuries CE.