In addition to the instruments mentioned above there are various others employed by the orchestra sitting on the stage. On the whole the instruments are practically the same for all kinds of music. They are shown in the accompanying illustrations drawn for me by a Chinese artist. The _hsien-tzu_ is a sort of three-stringed banjo, the sounding box of which is covered with a snake skin. The _yüeh-ch’in_ (moon guitar) has four strings and a wooden sounding-box. Other wind instruments in addition to the _ti-tzu_ (flute) are the _shou_, resembling somewhat a bagpipe, and the _la-pa_, a brass horn used to announce the entry of great military personages. Instruments of percussion outnumber those of other varieties. The _ch’iao-pan_ are two flat boards tied together with a string, used by the leader of the orchestra to indicate the time. The _t’ang-ku_ is a brass plate beaten furiously in battle scenes, as are also the _lo_ and the _ch’a_ (cymbals). The _peng-ku_ is a drum made of a solid block of wood which gives piercing, high notes when beaten in a whirlwind tattoo by means of two thin sticks. The _ku_ has a leather drumhead and resembles somewhat our kettledrum. It should be noted that the size of the orchestra and the kind of instruments employed vary a great deal. However, the above may serve to give an approximate conception of the Chinese theater music. Just as in much of our own earlier drama, emotional or poetic passages are sung by the actors on the Peking stage. [Illustration: ORCHESTRAL INSTRUMENTS 1—_Hsien-tze._ 2—_Ku._ 3—_Yüeh-ch’in._ 4—_Chiao-pan_ or _pan-tze_. 5—_Lo._] Another striking similarity to the European medieval theater is the fact that the Chinese stage has its fixed character types. The four most important among these, called the _t’ai chih_ or pillars of the stage, are: 1, the _cheng-sheng_; 2, the _wu-sheng_; 3, the _ching-i_; 4, the _hua-tan_. Each company must always have its best actors among these four, because one of them is sure to be the star in the play.