Legend has it that the matouqin was first made by a little shepherd boy named Su He in the Chahar grassland.

Su He was raised by his grandmother, and his mother-in-law and grandson lived on more than 20 sheep. Su He goes out to herd sheep every day and helps grandma cook in the morning and evening. Seventeen-year-old Su He already looks like an adult. He has an extraordinary singing talent, and the neighboring herdsmen are very willing to listen to him sing.
One day, the sun had set, and it was getting darker and darker. But Su He hasn't come back yet. Just when people were very anxious, Su He walked into the yurt with a small furry thing in his arms. When people saw it, it turned out to be a newborn foal.

Su He looked at everyone's astonished eyes, and said to everyone, "On my way back, I ran into this little guy, lying on the ground and moving straight. When I saw that no one took care of it, I was afraid that it would be eaten by wolves in the dark night. Take it back."

Days passed, and the little white horse grew up under Su He's careful care. It was snow-white, beautiful and strong, and everyone loved it, and Su He loved it even more.

One night, Su He was awakened from his sleep by the rapid neighing of a horse. Thinking of the little white horse, he hurriedly got up and went out to take a look, only to see a big bad wolf blocked by the little white horse outside the sheepfold. Su He chased away the big bad wolf. Seeing that the little white horse was dripping with sweat, he knew that the big bad wolf must have been here for a long time. Thanks to the little white horse, he protected the sheep for him. He gently stroked the sweaty body of the little white horse and said to it, "little white horse! Thanks to you."

In the spring of one year, news came from the grasslands that the prince was going to hold a horse race at the Lama Temple, because the prince's daughter wanted to choose the best rider to be her husband, and whoever wanted the first name would marry the prince. Su He also heard the news, and his neighbors encouraged him to lead the little white horse to the competition. So, Su He set off with his beloved little white horse.

The horse race began, and many strong young men raised their whips and ran wildly. At the end, Su He's little white horse ran to the front. The lord ordered: "Call the rider on the white horse to come to the stage!" When Su He stepped onto the stand, the lord saw that the first place ran was a poor herdsman.

He changed his mind and didn't mention the matter of recruiting relatives, and said unreasonably: "I will give you three big ingots, leave the horse with me, and go back quickly!"

"I'm here to race horses, not to sell horses." Su He suddenly became annoyed when he heard the prince's words. Can I betray the little white horse? He thought so, and said those two words without hesitation.

"How dare you, a poor herdsman, resist the lord? Come on, give me a savage beating for this bitch." Before the lord could finish speaking, the thugs moved their hands. Su He was beaten unconscious and thrown under the stand. The prince took away the little white horse and went back to the mansion majestic.

Su He was rescued by relatives and friends and went home. Under the careful care of her grandmother, she recuperated for a few days, and her body gradually recovered. One night, Su He was about to fall asleep when he heard the door slamming. Asked, "Who?" But no one answered. The door still rattled.
Grandma pushed open the door and looked: "Ah, it's a little white horse!" Su He hurriedly ran out with this exclamation. When he saw it, the little white horse really came back. It was hit by seven or eight sharp arrows, and it ran with sweat. Su He gritted his teeth, resisted the pain in his heart, and pulled out the arrow from the horse.

Blood flowed from the wound like a fountain. The horse was seriously injured and died the next day.

It turned out that the prince was very happy because he got a good horse, so he chose an auspicious day, set a banquet, and invited relatives and friends to celebrate.
He wanted to show his good horse in front of people, and asked the warriors to bring the horse over, and wanted to show it off.
As soon as the prince got on the horse's back, before he could sit firmly, the white horse kicked him violently and threw him down. The white horse broke free from the thick rope and rushed through the crowd. The prince got up and shouted, "Catch it quickly, or shoot it to death if you can't catch it!" The arrows of the archers flew towards the white horse like a rush of rain.
Although the white horse was shot several times, it still ran home and died in front of its dearest master.

Bai Ma's death brought more grief and anger to Su He, and he couldn't sleep for several nights. One night, Su He saw the white horse alive in a dream.

He stroked it, and it approached him, and said softly to him at the same time: "Master, if you want me to never leave you and relieve your loneliness, then you can use my muscles and bones to make A qin!" After Su He woke up, he made a qin from the bones, tendons and tail of the little white horse.
Whenever he played the qin, he would think of his hatred for the prince; every time he recalled the excitement of riding a horse, the sound of the qin became more beautiful. Since then, the matouqin has become a comfort to the herdsmen on the grassland. As soon as they hear the wonderful sound of the qin, they will forget the fatigue of the day and will not leave for a long time.

When Genghis Khan was on his westward expedition, large-scale immigration spread the Mongolian culture, including the matouqin, to Europe, and Russia also had the matouqin, which was welcomed by people.