Delicate musical instruments are displayed at the China International Musical Instruments Expo and the 2rd “Belt and Road” Commercial and Cultural Exchange Forum. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Also worth noting: a red piano specially made by China's top piano brand Steinway & Sons was played by Chinese pianists for the first time at the expo. The piano gained much attention at last month's China International Import Expo in Shanghai. The red color is the same as the Chinese flag, and the instrument is the only red piano Steinway has made so far.

Many countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative like Azerbaijan have showed their unique national culture and expressed friendship by displaying national-level musical instruments at the expo, like the muqam, tal and kamancha.

Likewise, top domestic instrument collectors also exhibited a number of pieces, including the guqin from the Northern Song Dynasty, the guzheng from the Ming Dynasty and the classic pipa. Among these, some instruments boast a history of more than 1,000 years, while the most valuable instrument is worth over 100 million yuan.

The China International Musical Instruments Expo and the Second Belt and Road Commercial and Cultural Exchange Forum were jointly sponsored by the Commercial Industry Committee of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, the Association of China Commercial Enterprise Management, Shanghai Council Committee China National Democratic Construction, the Benbu municipal government and Shanghai Xiangjiang Industrial Co., Ltd.