Lotus Emerging from the Water

Introduction

A traditional Hakka zheng piece that takes the lotus, unstained by the mud it grows in, as its image.

Chu shui lian is a traditional piece of the Hakka zheng repertoire, drawn from Guangdong Han music, and its author and date are unknown. The Hakka zheng, also called the Guangdong Han music zheng, is said to have been brought from the Central Plains to Dabu in Meizhou by migrants of the Song. The piece is plain in tone and quietly elegant, taking as its image the lotus that rises from the mud unstained. Its opening phrase uses a slow slide to give the melody a simple, dignified character. When Guangdong Han music entered the first national list of intangible cultural heritage in 2006, this piece was on the programme of its showcase concerts in Beijing that year.