Guzheng (CH: 古筝, also known as the Chinese zither) is a traditional Chinese instrument that was first mentioned in records during the Warring States Period in China (approximately 2,500 years ago). It was believed to have originated from other similar Chinese plucking instruments, the se (瑟) and the guqin (古琴). The guzheng gained the favor of noblemen, poets, etc. during the Qin dynasty (秦朝). With modernization in the last century, the guzheng fell out of interest within Chinese culture, but has experienced a revival in recent years, with many notable schools and teachers promulgating its appreciation. In general, the guzheng has 21 to 25 strings with movable bridges, and covers four to five octaves, plus one note; due to the movable bridges, its tuning is quite flexible, to suit the needs of the music, barring extreme tuning changes mid-performance. However, as with many traditional Chinese instruments, it is limited to the pentatonic scale (unlike the diatonic of Western instruments) as its basis; thus, the chromatic and diatonic scale must be played with portamentos and left-hand bending. Irregardless, this does not limit the repertoire: innumerous guzheng arrangements of modern and traditional pieces are available.

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The guzheng is known for its dynamic sounds that it may evoke, from the tempered sound of a trickling stream, to the intense crash of waves and beating of drums. Furthermore, ornaments such as portamento, glissando, portamento, tremolo, vibrato, harmonic overtone, etc. frequently decorate the musical arrangements to produce a rich, varied sound. Consequently, the guzheng was declared the national instrument of China, and has inspired the creation of a number of other Asian plucked instruments, such as the Korean gayageum, Vietnamese dan tranh, and Japanese koto. As complex as it may sound, the guzheng is an instrument that can be picked up quite easily with some basic musical background.