This two-volume encyclopedia constitutes a pioneering scholarly endeavor in global studies on musical instruments. The volume with the focus on Chinese instruments systematically explores ancient Chinese musical instruments first, covering both those uncovered through archaeology and those mentioned in historical texts, while subsequently mapping contemporary instrumental traditions across all 56 ethnic groups, examining four principal instrumental categories: wind, stringed and bowed, plucked, and percussion. The volume on world instruments takes a global view and introduces a wide range of representative musical instruments from all over the world following modern instrumental classification systems and continental divisions. It popularizes musical instrument culture in an accessible manner, covering aspects such as history, structure, type, playing techniques and repertoire.