Who are we?

Erhu is a Chinese two-stringed bowed musical instrument, and is sometimes known in the Western world as the Chinese violin or a Chinese two-stringed fiddle.

The first Chinese character of the name of the instrument (二, èr, two) is believed to come from the fact that it has two strings. The second character (胡, hú) indicates that it is a member of the Huqin (胡琴, "instrument of the Hu people") family, suggesting that the instrument may have originated from regions to the north or west of China generally inhabited by nomadic "Hu" people on the extremities of past Chinese kingdoms.

Dizi is a Chinese transverse flute. It is a popular instrument among the Chinese people as it is simple to make and easy to carry. Most dizi are made of bamboo, which explains why dizi are sometimes known by simple names such as Chinese bamboo flute (竹笛).

Whereas most simple flutes have only a blowing hole and finger-holes, dizi has a very different additional hole, called a mo kong (膜孔), between the embouchure and finger-holes. A special membrane called dimo (笛膜), made from an almost tissue-like shaving of reed (made from the inner skin of bamboo cells), is made taut and glued over this hole, traditionally with a substance called ejiao (阿胶), an animal glue.

Guzheng or Zheng, is a Chinese plucked zither. 古 (gǔ) means old or ancient. 筝 (zhēng) refers to a zither-type instrument. 

The modern guzheng commonly has 21 strings, is 1.6 m (5.3 ft) long, and is tuned in a major pentatonic scale. Guzheng players often wear fingerpicks on one or both hands.

The ruan (阮) is a traditional Chinese plucked string instrument. It is a lute with a fretted neck, a circular body, and four strings. The instrument can be played using a plectrum similar to a guitar pick. 

Ruan comes in a family of five sizes:
• soprano: gaoyinruan (高音阮, "high pitched ruan"; tuning: G3-D4-G4-D5)
• alto: xiaoruan (小阮, "small ruan"; tuning: D3-A4-D4-A5)
• tenor: zhongruan (中阮, "medium ruan"; tuning: G2-D3-G3-D4)
• bass: daruan (大阮, "large ruan"; tuning: D2-A3-D3-A4)
• contrabass: diyinruan (低音阮, "low pitched ruan"; tuning: G1-D2-G2-D3)

Pipa is a Chinese four-string plucked lute. The instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets ranging from 12 to 31.

The name "pipa" is made up of two Chinese syllables, "pí" (琵) and "pá" (琶). These, according to the Han dynasty text by Liu Xi, refer to the way the instrument is played – "pí" is to strike outward with the right hand, and "pá" is to pluck inward towards the palm of the hand.

The trapezoidal yangqin is a Chinese hammered dulcimer, likely derived from the Iranian santur or the European dulcimer. It used to be written as 洋琴 ("foreign zither"), but over time the first character changed to 扬 (also pronounced "yáng"), which means "acclaimed". 

Yangqin is a chromatic instrument with a range of slightly over four octaves. Performers hold one stick in each hand, and hit the strings alternately. In orchestras, yangqin often adds to the harmony by playing chords or arpeggios.

In Chinese culture, the Gu (鼓, drum) is regarded as a symbol of auspiciousness. It symbolizes joy, unity, and prosperity. During traditional celebrations and festivals, the Chinese drum is often used in lion dances, dragon dances, and various dance performances to add a festive atmosphere to the celebrations. People who play the Chinese drum usually undergo long periods of training and practice. They convey the spirit of the drum to the audience through changes in drumbeats, mastery of rhythm, and the demonstration of their skills.

Kuaiban is a Chinese instrument consisting of a set of small bamboo boards or bones and rope. The name literally means fast boards. 

Kuaiban consists of two sets of clappers played at the same time by one performer. The larger set consists of two larger bamboo slats connected with a cloth rope. This set is played by holding one of the slats with the left hand, and with the twist of the wrist the second slat strikes the slat that is being held. In the right hand is the second set with five smaller slats all loosely connected by a cloth rope. A more advanced technique is used in the right hand to get the slats to slap against each other.