ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Traditional Chinese musical instruments

Music is like a game we play with sound. When we make different sounds with different things, we can make beautiful music. People in China have been playing music for thousands of years and they use special things called traditional Chinese musical instruments.

There are many different traditional Chinese musical instruments, but here are some examples of the most common ones:

1. Pipa: Imagine a guitar shaped like a pear that you play by plucking the strings with special picks. It sounds like a beautiful songbird.

2. Guzheng: Imagine a long, flat box with strings stretched across it that you play using your fingers or special hammers. It sounds like a beautiful waterfall.

3. Erhu: Imagine a small, two-stringed instrument that you hold up to your neck and play with a bow. It sounds like a person singing or crying.

4. Sheng: Imagine a small round instrument with many pipes coming out of it that are blown into like a harmonica. It sounds like many birds singing at once.

5. Dizi: Imagine a long, bamboo flute that you play by blowing into it and pressing different holes to change the pitch. It sounds like the wind blowing through the trees.

All of these traditional Chinese musical instruments have a very special and unique sound that is different from anything else. People in China play them to tell stories, to express their feelings, to celebrate special occasions, and just to have fun. They are like magic wands that make beautiful music whenever you wave them around.