BEIJING, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- The 3rd International Dulcimer Music Festival has opened in Beijing, inviting dulcimer artists from home and abroad to perform and exchange views on the instrument.

More than 500 dulcimer artists from China, Malaysia and Iran will take part in the festival. They will hold concerts and exchange ideas on dulcimer development trends, the localization of the dulcimer as well as dulcimer art education for the young. Seminars and contests will also be held during the festival.

The dulcimer originated in the Middle East and has been transferred to more than 20 countries and regions over thousands of years. Dulcimer variants have bloomed in different nations, each boasting their own unique characteristics.

Liu Yuening, artistic director of the festival and a professor at the Central Conservatory of Music, said the festival offered a platform to showcase the Chinese dulcimer, also known as yangqin, which has attracted an ever-growing international audience with its unique charm.

The festival will last until Aug. 15.