MUZI MUZIChinese Matrix

The Art of the Guqin

High mountains and flowing water on seven strings

Introduction

The seven-string zither with thirteen studs, foremost instrument of China's literati solo tradition

The guqin, or seven-string qin, is a plucked zither with seven strings stretched over a long, narrow wooden body and thirteen studs marking the stopping positions; it has long been the solo instrument of the literati. The Book of Songs already speaks of the qin and se, a ten-string qin was buried in the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng at Suizhou, Hubei (c. 433 BCE), and the form was settled by the Han at the latest. The Tang manuscript of Jieshi Diao Youlan is written in a prose tablature, and the Shenqi Mipu compiled by the Ming prince Zhu Quan in 1425 preserves old pieces such as Guangling San. Players from Ji Kang onward carried the art forward, and schools such as Yushan and Guangling continue it today. UNESCO proclaimed guqin music a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2003.

Representative works

  1. Guangling SanJi Kang played it before his execution and lamented that Guangling San would now be lost for ever
  2. Solitary Orchid in Jieshi ModeThe oldest surviving qin score, written out entirely in words rather than tablature signs
  3. Flowing WaterGuan Pinghu's recording of Flowing Water left Earth in 1977 on the Voyager Golden Record
  4. Three Variations on the Plum BlossomIts harmonic theme is played three times, in the upper, middle and lower registers, hence the name
  5. Wine MadnessThe version played today is Yao Bingyan's 1957 reconstruction, whose triple rhythm sways like a drunkard
  6. Clouds over the Xiao and XiangGuo Mian is said to have written it when clouds over the Xiao and Xiang rivers hid Mount Jiuyi from his view.
  7. Three Refrains at Yang PassA setting of Wang Wei's farewell poem whose lines are sung three times over, hence the name
  8. Dialogue between the Fisherman and the WoodcutterFirst printed in 1559, it appears in more than thirty Ming and Qing qin handbooks
  9. Eighteen Songs of a Nomad FluteTraditionally credited to Cai Wenji, it survives as a qin song and as an instrumental piece, both in eighteen sections
  10. Wild Geese Landing on the SandbankFirst printed in 1634 by the Ming Prince of Lu, it survives in more than sixty later qin handbooks

Timeline

Zhou to present
600 BCE · OriginThe Book of Songs (poems of the 11th–7th centuries BCE) already pairs the qin with the se, in 'Guan ju' and 'Lu ming'; the qin was a familiar instrument under the Zhou.433 BCE · EvolutionThe tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng at Suizhou, Hubei (he died c. 433 BCE) contained a ten-string qin, an excavated qin from before the seven-string standard.1425 · EvolutionZhu Quan, Prince of Ning, compiled the Shenqi Mipu in 1425, the most famous of the Ming qin handbooks, through which pieces such as Guangling San survive.2003 · ImpactUNESCO proclaimed guqin music a Masterpiece in 2003 and inscribed it on the Representative List in 2008; it entered the first national ICH list in 2006 (Ⅱ-34), extended in 2008 to seven schools including Yushan and Guangling.
  1. 600 BCEOriginThe Book of Songs (poems of the 11th–7th centuries BCE) already pairs the qin with the se, in 'Guan ju' and 'Lu ming'; the qin was a familiar instrument under the Zhou.Literature › Classic of Poetry: Guan Ju (Ospreys Cry)
  2. 433 BCEEvolutionThe tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng at Suizhou, Hubei (he died c. 433 BCE) contained a ten-string qin, an excavated qin from before the seven-string standard.
  3. 1425EvolutionZhu Quan, Prince of Ning, compiled the Shenqi Mipu in 1425, the most famous of the Ming qin handbooks, through which pieces such as Guangling San survive.
  4. 2003ImpactUNESCO proclaimed guqin music a Masterpiece in 2003 and inscribed it on the Representative List in 2008; it entered the first national ICH list in 2006 (Ⅱ-34), extended in 2008 to seven schools including Yushan and Guangling.

Heritage Listings

  1. 2003UNESCO Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of HumanityGuqin and its music
  2. 2006National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage1st batch · traditional music · Ⅱ-34 Art of the Guqin · no. 65 · nominated by the Chinese National Academy of Arts
  3. 2008UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity3.COM · incorporated from the 2003 proclamation
  4. 2008National ICH extension itemsⅡ-34: Yushan · Guangling · Jinling · Meian · Zhe · Zhucheng and Lingnan schools