Two musical instruments, which both have roots in ancient Persia, the Chinese Yangqin and the Indian Santoor, have become very important in their respective countries' music traditions. In a cultural exchange tour, Indian Santoor master Bhajan Sopori has come to China to understand the cultural background of Yangqin. 

After a month of touring around China, Sopori and his partners demonstrate their music to a Beijing audience. The instrument originated in today's Iran, and then became popular in the Silk Road countries such as India and China with gradual changes in how it looked and how it was played.

The one-month cultural exchange doesn't just look into the uniqueness of how Santoor is developed in different countries. Artists from both China and India are more interested in making fresh music together. 

"We got to know more about each other during the cooperation. We figured out a way for these two different traditional music styles to work together in the concert, using Indian music structure and Chinese melody," said Chinese instrumentalist Liu Yuening.

Moreover, a workshop held by Sopori made the cultural communication more practical. Mi Xuanye has been playing Yangqin in China for 17 years. The past two weeks learning with Sopori has enriched her experience of the genre. 

"We had to learn from a very different teaching style. Unlike learning music in China, we had to try to remember what Mr. Sopori played without using any musical score. And then the music is always impromptu," said Mi. 

She has found plenty of value in the cultural exchange, getting to know more about the instrument she's been playing since she was young and hearing the musical traditions of China and India with a fresh ear.