The best qin in the Met collection is said to be one attributed to Lu Wang, the Ming dynasty Prince of Lu. Dated 1633, it produces quite a good sound. It is strung with somewhat thick silk strings, so before my performance with it on November 7th, 2003, I practiced with it a number of times to break them in. Currently it is not on display.

For some years the museum has had two instruments on display. One is hanging vertically in a glass case in the music instrument collection. The other is sitting on a table in the scholar's room, off the scholar's garden. According to tradition, this will eventually cause the instrument to warp and become unplayable, but the Museum says the sound of this instrument was never very good.

The museum also has three other instruments in storage. One is a 19th century instrument in very bad condition (the back is cracked). The other two are said to be Japanese qins in bad shape, but I have not seen these.

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