Fuxi’s Zither

The First Qin

Legendary zither carved by Fuxi from paulownia wood, origin of Chinese music and ritual.

Legend says Fuxi watched a phoenix settle on a paulownia tree, took its wood and carved the first zither, stringing it with silk so that its sound could reach the gods and harmonize heaven and earth. The qin became a central emblem of Chinese ritual culture, and the zither of Fuxi remains the mythic prototype of music itself.