The zheng is also referred to as guzheng. During the days of the Warring States in the Qin kingdom, it had attained a degree of popularity.
The zheng, although considered an ancient instrument, has also been subjected to reform and change. The adapted zheng used the 16-stringed silk string zheng as a foundation and adopted the characteristic features of other zhengs, increasing the instrument’s string count to eventually 21 in the 1970s. Besides being used in Chinese orchestras or as an accompanying instrument, the guzheng has a huge repertoire of solo pieces.