Erhu

An erhu player in the courtyard of La Nau, the University of Valencia's historic building, in November 2023, the instrument upright on his knee. The erhu is China's two-string fiddle, and two details set it apart from a violin: the bow hair passes between its strings, and there is no fingerboard, so the left hand presses strings that touch nothing but air. The small sound box at the bottom is faced with python skin, which gives the erhu its plaintive, almost vocal tone.