Malaysian student finds beauty in traditional Chinese instruments like the pipa

Crystal (second from right) practising with some of the other Chinese orchestra members at the Hin Hua High School in Klang. Photos: The Star/K.K. Sham

Crystal Lim Xin Yin has always been captivated by the sight of someone playing the pipa, or Chinese lute.

It is no surprise then that the 17-year-old Hin Hua High School student from Klang, Selangor, has been learning the instrument for the past five years through the school’s Chinese orchestra society.