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The best known Chinese folk music Erquan Yingyue was wrote by Hua Yanjun (A Bing,1893-1950), a blind street musician with a plight life. And the plaintive melody of the erhu he played can completely convey his ups and downs.

The more moving the erhu music is the harder people can distract from the melody to the figure out how the instrument works, and less likely to realize what role can snakes play during the dulcet one.

The erhu is a two-stringed bowed musical instrument, more specifically a spike fiddle, which may also be called a “southern fiddle”, and sometimes known in the Western world as the “Chinese violin” or a “Chinese two-stringed fiddle”. It is used as a solo instrument as well as in small ensembles and large orchestras. It is the most popular of the huqin family of traditional bowed string instruments used by various ethnic groups of China. A very versatile instrument, the erhu is used in both traditional and contemporary music arrangements, such as in pop, rock, jazz, etc.

The erhu consists of a long vertical stick-like neck, at the top of which are two large tuning pegs, and at the bottom is a small resonator body (sound box) which is covered with python skin on the front (playing) end. Two strings are attached from the pegs to the base, and a small loop of string (qian jin) placed around the neck and strings acting as a nut pulls the strings towards the skin, holding a small wooden bridge in place.

The erhu has some unusual features. First is that its characteristic sound is produced through the vibration of the python skin by bowing. Second, there is no fingerboard; the player stops the strings by pressing their fingertips onto the strings without the strings touching the neck. Third, the horse hair bow is never separated from the strings (which were formerly of twisted silk but which today are usually made of metal); it passes between them as opposed to over them (the latter being the case with western bowed stringed instruments). Lastly, although there are two strings, they are very close to each other and the player’s left hand in effect plays as if on one string.

Use of python skin
The experts say, as for the erhu, the most important part is the elastic python which gives charming to the unique music. Even another thought, there is no erhu without python, or simply cannot be called as erhu. Erhu which made by snakeskin, leather or wood is not work. The price of erhu also depends on the python skin with different parts. The experienced erhu artists prefer to use the erhu made of skin of abdomen.

As the development of China’s economy, more and more people buy erhu and learn to play. Some other Chinese folk musical instruments also need to use python, such as three-stringed lute or tambourine, ect. The rising demand of China also increases the competition of python in global market which has the trading of fashion industry, such as wallets, jackets, and boots. The wild pythons have been near the verge in China due to the production of musical instruments since 1980s.

In 1988, China passed its Law on the Protection of Endangered Species after ratifying the UN Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), making it illegal to use and trade unlicensed pythons. To regulate the use of python skins, China’s State Forestry Administration introduced a certification scheme between python skin sellers in Southeast Asia and musical instrument makers in China. From January 1, 2005, new regulations also require erhus to have a certificate from the State Forestry Administration, which certify that the erhu python skin is not made with wild pythons, but from farm-raised pythons. Individuals are allowed to take up to two erhus out of China when traveling; commercial buyers need additional export certificates.

Manufacturers of erhu are able to issue their own CITES licenses with approval by governments of their respective countries. Such exports are legal as they have been made from legal skin sources. Some erhus are made of recycled products.

At first, the manufacturers did not willing to obey those rules, but since they recognized that they can raise the prices of erhu, then, they accepted the new policies.

With the law, the wild pythons may have a better future.

http://www.beijingshots.com/2011/12/erhu-or-python/