The horse-head fiddle, called “Morin Khuur” in Mongolian, is named after the horse-head carving on the top of the pole. It has been listed as one of the national intangible cultural heritage items due to its unique timbre, which is produced by “bowing the strings in a way that resembles both a plaintive song and a heartfelt story”.

In a classroom filled with the scent of rosin in Shenyang, Zuhair, a Palestinian international student, is focused on drawing the bow across the strings of the Morin Khuur. From his fingertips flows a Mongolian folk song, “Wild Goose”. This “post-95” student, majoring in International Relations at Liaoning University, has completed the journey from “zero” to full performance in just under five months. And through the music, he came to understand the diversity and integration of Chinese culture.

Li Jiaxin, a representative inheritor of the Morin Khuur from the Mongolian ethnic group, has a strong impression of this foreign student. “His daily practice videos always show a kind of tenacious dedication.” Zuhair’s practice logs trace his learning path. During the first three weeks, he focused on basic skills such as “bowing angle” and “holding posture”, often practicing for three hours at a time; after one month, he began to tackle slightly simpler pieces like “Wild Goose”. Now, he can perform short melodies on the Morin Khuur. “This intangible cultural heritage art requires fingertip pressure on the strings to be extremely precise, much like learning the trills in Arabic, which demands muscle memory.” Zuhair gestured as he spoke.

During his days of learning the instrument, Zuhair often had heart-to-heart talks with Li Jiaxin. “When the teacher tells stories of the grassland, the sound of horse hooves suddenly comes alive in the music. Can you believe it? I can hear the wind of the grassland through the melody of the Morin Khuur.” Zuhair said excitedly, “China is not only about pandas and the Great Wall; the Morin Khuur has shown me a different China.”

Zuhair’s social media account captures the sparks ignited by the collision of cultures from different countries—He formed a band with friends, where the Morin Khuur stood out among Western instruments; he attempted to interpret Arabic folk songs on the Morin Khuur, creating a wonderful “Silk Road fusion” style…

Recently, this Palestinian youth has set a new goal—“I want to perform a Morin Khuur solo at the graduation party! I will wear a Mongolian robe so that everyone can experience the charm of China’s intangible cultural heritage!”