Cultural relations with China in particular, especially in the sphere of music, had a special place in this exchange. There is a very well-known finding of a mural painting in one of the palaces in Afrasiab (described in the research of Uzbek scholar L. I. Albaum). The scene depicts a group of noble women with female musicians in a boat, and is interpreted to be the Chinese embassy to Sogdiana (dated 800 AD). One of the musicians is holding a lute-like plucked instrument. Its characteristic positioning, manner of playing and appearance resemble the analogous Chinese instrument – pipa. In front of the lute player stands another musician with an instrument resembling the zither (zin), which was quite popular among the Chinese nobility of that period.
It is well known that singers and dancers from Central Asia, especially from the Chach region (modern Tashkent), were very popular in China at that time (900 AD). In fact, the embassies often brought them to China as gifts. According to various sources, the musical art of Chach and the Sogdian lute made a significant impact on the development of the Chinese musical tradition.
You can learn more about the topic in the book-album "The Musical Legacy of Uzbekistan in Collections of the Russian Federation" (Volume VI) from the series "Cultural legacy of Uzbekistan in the world collections".
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