In contemporary versions, however, the front board is made of tong wood (桐木) and red sandalwood is used for the back.

The liuqin has gone by various names, firstly the liuyeqin (柳葉琴), meaning willow leaf-shaped instrument.

However, the earliest precursor of the modern four-stringed version of the instrument appeared and experienced popularity during the Qing Dynasty.

This allows for a greater control over timbre and intonation than their western counterparts, but makes chordal playing (double, triple, quadruple stopping) more difficult.

Yu Yunfei,"The transition of liuqin's characters", Jiao Xiang-Journal of Xi'an Conservatory of Music, Mar.2005,90-92.