An Analysis of Regional Cultural Differentiation of Huqin Instruments: Erhu, Xiqin and Morin Khuur From a Comparative Perspective

Abstract

Originating from the nomadic production system of the northern Xí people during the Wei, Jin, and Northern-Southern Dynasties, the ancient Xiqin is a highly representative early bowed string instrument in ancient China and the common ancestor of today's erhu, Korean Xiqin, and Mongolian horsehead fiddle. After the Wei and Jin periods, frequent migrations and deep cultural integration among northern nomadic groups intensified regional cultural exchanges. The ancient Xiqin, originally rooted in the northern grasslands, gradually spread outward, reaching the agricultural heartland of central China, the mountainous Korean settlements in northeastern China, and the vast Mongolian steppes. Due to significant differences in natural geography, production modes, and aesthetic systems across various regions, the ancient Xiqin did not remain fixed in its original form upon arrival in different areas. Instead, it underwent continuous adaptive improvements and artistic reconfigurations tailored to local cultural characteristics. Over time, prolonged regional influences and artistic accumulations led to distinct artistic divergences in instrument structure, acoustic properties, performance practices, and folk applications for this originally unified instrument, ultimately giving rise to several regionally identifiable and artistically independent branches of the huqin family. Based on the theoretical framework of comparative musicology, and integrating existing academic research with primary data collected through fieldwork, this study explores the internal driving mechanisms behind regional cultural differences in shaping the artistic evolution of these three huqin types, focusing on four core dimensions: instrument evolution, craftsmanship features, performance aesthetics, and folk cultural values. It systematically summarizes the key patterns underlying their localized development. The research clarifies the deep logic connecting regional humanistic environments with traditional musical instrument evolution, and identifies the core characteristics of indigenous adaptation and coexistence of multiple forms in the development of related instruments. The findings provide solid theoretical support and practical guidance for the living preservation of ethnic minority traditional instruments and the inheritance and innovation of huqin art.