Fig. 2

The inscriptions carved on the back side of the qin and their meaning: a the name of the qin: ¹lai籟 is a polycalamus flute of the yue 龠 type with three holes. The qin tends to reproduce the soft and nostalgic sounds of this "antique" flute suggesting an autumnal atmosphere. b "In praise of the qin", Li Bai’s poem (translation by Lucie Rault): the original text is in black, the modified passages carved in the qin are in red and under the corresponding sonograms. ² tong 桐 (in original version) or wutong 梧桐 [21]. ³ hui 徽 studs that mark harmonic positions, c information on the making of the qin: ⁴ dated from 1712 according to the era mentioned under the Qing Dynasty, ⁵ dated from the spring of the year renchen 壬辰, which is the name of the sexagesimal year corresponding to 1712 (according to the cyclic calendar), d) Tang Kai’s seal