Huawei (华为) music app Yinyuejia (音悦家) to include traditional Chinese instruments, CTO Li Xiaolong (李小龙) reveals in-app pages
Lead: tech meets tradition
Huawei (华为) has quietly shown the first screens of its self‑developed music app Yinyuejia (音悦家), and the company's Terminal BG CTO Li Xiaolong (李小龙) — nicknamed the "gold customer service" — was the first to confirm that the app will support Chinese traditional instruments. It has been reported that Li posted interface images during a HarmonyOS product briefing that reveal dedicated "Music Hall" and "Studio" sections, with instrument pages exposed ahead of the app's wider launch.
Features and instrument list
Yinyuejia is presented as a full mobile "music creation studio," covering composing, recording, arranging and mixing. It has been reported that the app will ship with 200+ Western and Chinese instruments and professional synthesizer tones, and that the "Music Hall" includes modeled instruments such as the yueqin (月琴), a Tang‑style vertical konghou (竖箜篌 仿唐制), a Tang‑style curved‑neck pipa (曲颈琵琶 仿唐制) and silk‑string guqin (丝弦古琴). Huawei says it worked with the Shanghai Conservatory of Music (上海音乐学院) to refine those timbres, reportedly aiming to restore historical sonorities for "guofeng" (国风) music.
Why it matters
Why does this matter beyond music fans? Huawei's push to build native, professional apps for HarmonyOS signals a broader drive toward software self‑reliance amid U.S. export controls and geopolitical pressure. A homegrown digital studio that emphasizes Chinese instruments plays into national cultural priorities and helps Huawei differentiate its tablet and tablet‑plus‑peripherals ecosystem from Western rivals. It has been reported that the company is positioning Yinyuejia as a reason to use Huawei hardware — "one tablet becomes a band," as the firm put it.
Next steps
The app's public release date and full feature list remain unconfirmed. For now, the leak of in‑app pages and Li Xiaolong's fast reply to user requests underline Huawei's responsiveness — and its intent to marry modern production tools with traditional soundscapes. Can a consumer device help preserve and popularize ancient instruments? Huawei is betting yes.