Legend has it that the qin has a history of about 5,000 years and that the legendary people of China's pre-history; Fuxi, Shennong and Huang Di (the Yellow Emperor), were involved in its creation. It is mentioned in Chinese writings dating back nearly 3,000 years, and related instruments have been found in tombs from about 2,500 years ago. Chinese tradition says the qin originally had five strings, but then two were added about 1,000 BCE, making seven.
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