Performers › Musicians
Qiu Hechou
Hong Kong-based Cantonese-music yangqin player who published Xiange bidu in 1916 and from 1920 the yangqin method Qinxue xinbian, setting out yangqin hammer technique.
Also known as Leng-jai Ying
Qiu Hechou, childhood name A Ying, was from Taishan, Guangdong. He learned Buddhist, Daoist and opera music at home and then Cantonese music under Hu Degao, specialising in the yangqin while also playing erxian, suona, gaohu and violin. Settling in Hong Kong in his twenties, he kept a small instrument shop and taught Cantonese music. His Xiange bidu (1916) is regarded as the first book on Cantonese music; the yangqin method Qinxue xinbian (1920), written for accompanists, set out hammer technique, and was followed by Qinxue jinghua (1928) and Guoyue xinsheng (1934). His pieces include Shizi gunqiu and Shuanglong xizhu. He died in Hong Kong in 1942.
Life and times
Dates 1880 CE–1942 CE