Everything was as described. I have never played a stringed instrument before, but erhu has been on my bucket list for the past 15 years! This is great for someone like me. Not very expensive (perhaps because it is white wood instead of rose wood?) but great. Comes with case, erhu, bow, two bridges, two spoges, and spare strings (musical and qianjin). Setting it up was slightly troublesome, only because we didn't know what we were doing. You bow this VERY LIGHTLY. Make sure the bridge is in the middle of the resonator, with the sponge directly below that. Don't let the pegs slip the strings when you are tuning! I have yet to play a scale, but I can now tune it and play some clear tones on open strings.

This is a great instrument for the price, in my opinion. I am new to the insrument and it's true that I don't "know erhus," but I was able to tune this correctly after listening to a youtube video to determine I was hitting the appropriate octaves for the D and the A. (I started out an octave low and the strings were slipping out of the little bridge piece, which was a definite clue.) Also, after seeing notes from others of "rosin the heck out of it ... and then rosin it some more," I just kept rosining the bow like crazy the first time I tried to play and then did manage to get a very nice sound out of it. Yes, the instructions are in Chinese. You do need to go to youtube for instructions on setting it up properly, seeing how to properly place the bow between the strings, and to get some tips on how to properly bow it to produce sound.
Some things to know:
- The tuning is very "tight," which I think is normal for erhus after doing a little research. E.g., your chromatic tuner reads G# (or "higher") when you are trying to get to A. Give your peg the very slightest nudge to try to tune up to A. (Even with a slight nudge, you can end up well past the note in the other direction.) It is REALLY DIFFICULT to get the notes to the exact pitch, but you can get them very close. This is why you can buy fine tuners for erhus. I'm sure they make the tuning process much easier.
- If you loosen the screw enough at the hand-holding end of the bow, you can get the rubber-ended loop that attaches the horsehair to a hook on the bow to slip off. Then you can put that horsehair part of the bow between the strings and reattach it. You do not need to undo one of the instrument strings in order to get the bow in between the strings.
- The bridge pieces do have a certain direction in which they should be placed. One groove is slightly larger than the other. That side should be toward you as you play, or to the left as you face the front of the instrument.
- You may need to adjust the location of the qianjin. I noticed that the progression of notes from the open string to where next notes should be according to the demarcation they provide were "off" and the qianjin needed to slide down a little so that the transition in pitch from open string to fingered notes was correct. (You do need a pitch-sensitive ear for this, or access to someone with a pitch-sensitive ear who is willing to help.)

Over all, I am very pleased with this instrument. I recommend it to any hobby player curious to try an erhu.

got the urhu for my birthday and it is enchanting. All the instructions are in a language I cant read so was thankful for the clear picture instructions for setting the instrument up and tuning it. Would be a better gift idea for someone who had some musical knowledge or some violin experience (not much) because the whole bow concept is tough if you have never played anything but strumming instruments. Especially since this bow requires the player to hold one end tight with your pinkie as it is drawn across the strings. I am having trouble with one of the strings holding its tune and am constantly having to tighten the key; maybe should get something to tighten the hole? will see what I can do. Anyway the instrument is beautiful has a lovely sound and I am looking forward to experimenting with it.

For the price, I had extremely low expectations, which were exceeded. The sound is OK, and the construction seems sturdy enough. In particular, the tuning pegs hold well and the lack of fine tuners is not a problem. I know next to nothing about the erhu, but am familiar with cellos and violins. The bow and hair seem to be of reasonable quality, weight, and balance. Rosin is included, and it does the job just fine.

Setup instructions could be better, particularly in terms of exactly where the bridge and foam pad should be installed (I'm still not sure where the bridge should be positioned as I see lots of variation in online videos and pictures).

Definitely fun for beginners who know western string instruments. Recommended.

My daughter is really into Erhu's. I knew absolutely NOTHING about this instrument. I did a lot of research and watching you tube videos. It arrived in good shape. Don't expect overnight shipping. We were given a 2 MONTH window for delivery, and it arrived about 4 weeks AFTER I ordered it. It is exactly what it is. Tuning is not difficult since it's only 2 strings. If you having trouble getting clean tones off of it, make sure you rosin the crap out of the bow. (40 rubs will get you in the ball park.) Although is called the Chinese violin, (tones are similar, especially with an experienced player), its nothing like a violin. For beginners, the biggest thing to overcome is your bowing technique. The bow actually rests on the can, as you pull the bow across it. The other strange thing is the bow is placed IN BETWEEN the 2 strings. We've had it only for a couple of weeks and my daughter is really enjoying it. There are plenty of you tube videos, to help you learn how to play this instrument. All the directions (in the box) are in Chinese , so for tuning and set up, you'll have to go to you tube for help.....