Sound of the past, note for the future
1 year, 7 months ago

Sound of the past, note for the future

China Daily  

Xiao musician Shen Yingbiao plays the traditional Chinese musical instrument with another performer playing guqin at a concert in Shanghai last year. Often accompanying the guqin, a zither-like seven-stringed traditional musical instrument, the xiao, a traditional vertical bamboo flute with a relatively light sound, was often viewed as a foil. Shen was infatuated with the instrument after he bought a tape of xiao music and listened to the soft, graceful and mellow sound in his hometown of Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, in 1988. He spent almost a decade learning to play the instrument and polish his skills, another decade imparting them to others, and now the 53-year-old is still working to promote the instrument and its culture.

Xiao Instrument  note  musical  guqin  instrument  decade  yingbiao  future  past  bamboo  sound  xiao  flute  traditional

History of this topic

Ancient Meets Modern: A Symphony of Instruments in Chengdu
2 months ago

Ancient Meets Modern: A Symphony of Instruments in Chengdu

China Daily  

An impromptu concert takes place in Chengdu, Sichuan province, featuring traditional Chinese musicians and classical musicians. The musicians perform a modern rendition of a popular song from the 1990s, combining disco beats with ancient Chinese melodies. Their performance, released to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, garnered over 15 million views on social media.

Ancient Meets Modern: A Symphony of Instruments in Chengdu
2 months ago

Ancient Meets Modern: A Symphony of Instruments in Chengdu

China Daily  

An impromptu concert takes place in Chengdu, Sichuan province, featuring traditional Chinese musicians and classical musicians. The musicians perform a modern rendition of a popular song from the 1990s, combining disco beats with ancient Chinese melodies. Their performance, released to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, garnered over 15 million views on social media.

Elevating the guzheng's legacy
5 months ago

Elevating the guzheng's legacy

China Daily  

Ji Wei, a renowned guzheng artist, enhances the traditional Chinese instrument's appeal and global presence through cultural outreach. "The sound of the guzheng can convey both melancholic and cheerful emotions: its lower range exudes solemn and dignified music, its middle range displays great tenderness, and its high notes can be incredibly majestic," Ji explained. "It was then that I realized …

Elevating the guzheng's legacy
5 months ago

Elevating the guzheng's legacy

China Daily  

Ji Wei, a renowned guzheng artist, enhances the traditional Chinese instrument's appeal and global presence through cultural outreach. "The sound of the guzheng can convey both melancholic and cheerful emotions: its lower range exudes solemn and dignified music, its middle range displays great tenderness, and its high notes can be incredibly majestic," Ji explained. "It was then that I realized …

Renowned Chinese instrumentalist showcases musical mastery in Beijing
6 months, 4 weeks ago

Renowned Chinese instrumentalist showcases musical mastery in Beijing

China Daily  

Chinese instrumentalist Wang Hua performs during the concert in Beijing on May 24. Celebrated Chinese instrumentalist Wang Hua, recognized for his mastery of the bamboo flute and xiao, mesmerized audiences at the Beijing Concert Hall on May 24. Collaborating with esteemed Chinese musicians like singer Gong Linna, sheng player Nie Yunlei, and the Chinese Film Symphony Orchestra, Wang delivered a …

Guqin players show their style
9 months ago

Guqin players show their style

China Daily  

Concerts gathering guqin masters from Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland were staged in Beijing on Friday and Saturday. Guqin masters, including Sou Si-tai, Tse Chun-yan and young performers, including Maggie Lai and Karman Li, shared the stage with guqin artists, Li Fengyun, Zhang Zisheng as well as instrumentalists, such as Cheng Chai-man. "Guqin artists from Hong Kong have been …

Guqin players show their style
9 months ago

Guqin players show their style

China Daily  

Concerts gathering guqin masters from Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland were staged in Beijing on Friday and Saturday. Guqin masters, including Sou Si-tai, Tse Chun-yan and young performers, including Maggie Lai and Karman Li, shared the stage with guqin artists, Li Fengyun, Zhang Zisheng as well as instrumentalists, such as Cheng Chai-man. "Guqin artists from Hong Kong have been …

An instrument of knowledge
1 year, 6 months ago

An instrument of knowledge

China Daily  

The Zide Guqin Studio is most notable as a folk music ensemble that incorporates guqin and other musical instruments. CHINA DAILY Apart from learning and working, they also formed an NGO that organizes guqin gatherings for fellow enthusiasts, resembling the traditional salons frequented by scholars and literati in ancient China. Listed as "the four friends of literati", alongside chess, calligraphy …

Plucking at the strings of the nation's heart
1 year, 6 months ago

Plucking at the strings of the nation's heart

China Daily  

Editor's note: There are 43 items inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage lists that not only bear witness to the past glories of Chinese civilization, but also continue to shine today. In this installment, we discover why guqin, a musical instrument with a history spanning three millennia, still strikes a chord with Chinese music lovers. Zide Guqin Studio uses modern …

Plucking at the strings of the nation's heart
1 year, 6 months ago

Plucking at the strings of the nation's heart

China Daily  

Editor's note: There are 43 items inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage lists that not only bear witness to the past glories of Chinese civilization, but also continue to shine today. In this installment, we discover why guqin, a musical instrument with a history spanning three millennia, still strikes a chord with Chinese music lovers. Zide Guqin Studio uses modern …

Plucking at the strings of the nation's heart
1 year, 6 months ago

Plucking at the strings of the nation's heart

China Daily  

Editor's note: There are 43 items inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage lists that not only bear witness to the past glories of Chinese civilization, but also continue to shine today. In this installment, we discover why guqin, a musical instrument with a history spanning three millennia, still strikes a chord with Chinese music lovers. Zide Guqin Studio uses modern …

Plucking at the strings of the nation's heart
1 year, 6 months ago

Plucking at the strings of the nation's heart

China Daily  

Editor's note: There are 43 items inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage lists that not only bear witness to the past glories of Chinese civilization, but also continue to shine today. In this installment, we discover why guqin, a musical instrument with a history spanning three millennia, still strikes a chord with Chinese music lovers. Zide Guqin Studio uses modern …

Living Heritage: Guqin
1 year, 6 months ago

Living Heritage: Guqin

China Daily  

Wandering sounds, irregular rhythms and a carrier of gentle emotions. This is the musical language of guqin, a plucked seven string instrument created in ancient China. The earliest piece of guqin in China, unearthed in Hubei province in 2016, dates back to the Zhou Dynasty. As he played his guqin in the mountains, a woodcutter named Zhong Ziqi heard the …

Living Heritage: Guqin
1 year, 6 months ago

Living Heritage: Guqin

China Daily  

Wandering sounds, irregular rhythms and a carrier of gentle emotions. This is the musical language of guqin, a plucked seven string instrument created in ancient China. The earliest piece of guqin in China, unearthed in Hubei province in 2016, dates back to the Zhou Dynasty. As he played his guqin in the mountains, a woodcutter named Zhong Ziqi heard the …

Sound of the past, note for the future
1 year, 7 months ago

Sound of the past, note for the future

China Daily  

Shen Yingbiao "The xiao sound was too light, which weakened its expressiveness. It produces heavenly music, and has a concise but profound temperament, which conforms to the traditional Chinese aesthetic idea that, 'the greatest music has the faintest notes'," he adds. Since it is so simple that you can hardly make any changes on it, you can only change yourself, …

Sound of the past, note for the future
1 year, 7 months ago

Sound of the past, note for the future

China Daily  

Xiao musician Shen Yingbiao plays the traditional Chinese musical instrument with another performer playing guqin at a concert in Shanghai last year. Often accompanying the guqin, a zither-like seven-stringed traditional musical instrument, the xiao, a traditional vertical bamboo flute with a relatively light sound, was often viewed as a foil. Shen was infatuated with the instrument after he bought a …

Sound of the past, note for the future
1 year, 7 months ago

Sound of the past, note for the future

China Daily  

Shen introduces the xiao to an attentive audience in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, in January. While learning the instrument, Shen was increasingly fascinated by the rich cultural connotations contained in the xiao. For example, Song Dynasty poet Su Shi once wrote, "Better to eat without meat than live without bamboo", suggesting the importance of bamboo in their hearts. Therefore, the xiao, made …

Sound of the past, note for the future
1 year, 7 months ago

Sound of the past, note for the future

China Daily  

Shen judges a woman's xiao skills during a grading test in Taizhou, Zhejiang province, last year. Tao Xiaohong, who used to be a student of Shen, and now works as secretary-general of the Qiantang Xiao Society, says: "Shen has carried out deep research on the xiao, especially on how to show features of this old instrument in music performances. I …

Sound of the past, note for the future
1 year, 7 months ago

Sound of the past, note for the future

China Daily  

Xiao musician Shen Yingbiao plays the traditional Chinese musical instrument with another performer playing guqin at a concert in Shanghai last year. Often accompanying the guqin, a zither-like seven-stringed traditional musical instrument, the xiao, a traditional vertical bamboo flute with a relatively light sound, was often viewed as a foil. Shen was infatuated with the instrument after he bought a …

Sound of the past, note for the future
1 year, 7 months ago

Sound of the past, note for the future

China Daily  

Shen Yingbiao "The xiao sound was too light, which weakened its expressiveness. It produces heavenly music, and has a concise but profound temperament, which conforms to the traditional Chinese aesthetic idea that, 'the greatest music has the faintest notes'," he adds. Since it is so simple that you can hardly make any changes on it, you can only change yourself, …

Sound of the past, note for the future
1 year, 7 months ago

Sound of the past, note for the future

China Daily  

Shen judges a woman's xiao skills during a grading test in Taizhou, Zhejiang province, last year. Tao Xiaohong, who used to be a student of Shen, and now works as secretary-general of the Qiantang Xiao Society, says: "Shen has carried out deep research on the xiao, especially on how to show features of this old instrument in music performances. I …

American guqin player infuses ancient Chinese instrument with modern spirit
1 year, 8 months ago

American guqin player infuses ancient Chinese instrument with modern spirit

China Daily  

Jacob Charles plays the guqin. Jacob Charles is a Mexican-American intermedia artist, composer and guqin player. Charles hopes to popularize this traditional Chinese instrument, and enlighten more people about the fascinating nature of Chinese culture. Charles said he has dedicated himself to creating a new musical language, one that conveys both a sense of tranquility and the plurality of combining …

American guqin player infuses ancient Chinese instrument with modern spirit
1 year, 8 months ago

American guqin player infuses ancient Chinese instrument with modern spirit

China Daily  

Jacob Charles plays the guqin. Jacob Charles is a Mexican-American intermedia artist, composer and guqin player. Charles hopes to popularize this traditional Chinese instrument, and enlighten more people about the fascinating nature of Chinese culture. Charles said he has dedicated himself to creating a new musical language, one that conveys both a sense of tranquility and the plurality of combining …

Chinese traditional musical instruments in spotlight of festival for children
2 years, 4 months ago

Chinese traditional musical instruments in spotlight of festival for children

China Daily  

Chinese musician Wang Jianxin, who plays xun, flute and xiao, teaches during the summer camp. Guqin, xun, flute and xiao, four major traditional Chinese musical instruments, were highlighted during the ongoing 2022 Gateway to Arts Summer Festival's summer camp. The three-day summer camp had veteran musicians, including guqin player Li Fengyun and Wang Jianxin, who plays xun, flute and xiao, …

Chinese traditional musical instruments in spotlight of festival for children
2 years, 4 months ago

Chinese traditional musical instruments in spotlight of festival for children

China Daily  

Chinese musician Wang Jianxin, who plays xun, flute and xiao, teaches during the summer camp. Guqin, xun, flute and xiao, four major traditional Chinese musical instruments, were highlighted during the ongoing 2022 Gateway to Arts Summer Festival's summer camp. The three-day summer camp had veteran musicians, including guqin player Li Fengyun and Wang Jianxin, who plays xun, flute and xiao, …

On a string and a prayer
2 years, 7 months ago

On a string and a prayer

China Daily  

Guqin player and craftsman Yang Lan plays the instrument during a gathering with friends in Nantong, Jiangsu province, in 2021. After taking a risk by dropping out of school at the age of 16, two decades later, Yang Lan has crafted a comfortable life by playing, teaching and making guqin, Wang Ru reports. When Yang Lan first became attracted to …

On a string and a prayer
2 years, 7 months ago

On a string and a prayer

China Daily  

Guqin player and craftsman Yang Lan plays the instrument during a gathering with friends in Nantong, Jiangsu province, in 2021. After taking a risk by dropping out of school at the age of 16, two decades later, Yang Lan has crafted a comfortable life by playing, teaching and making guqin, Wang Ru reports. When Yang Lan first became attracted to …

On a string and a prayer
2 years, 7 months ago

On a string and a prayer

China Daily  

Guqin player and craftsman Yang Lan plays the instrument during a gathering with friends in Nantong, Jiangsu province, in 2021. After taking a risk by dropping out of school at the age of 16, two decades later, Yang Lan has crafted a comfortable life by playing, teaching and making guqin, Wang Ru reports. When Yang Lan first became attracted to …

Guqin and its music
4 years ago

Guqin and its music

China Daily  

Chen Zilai, a 7-year-old student in Shimei Primary School in Changshu, Jiangsu province, performs in a guqin concert on Aug 29. 2008，Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity The Chinese zither, called guqin, has existed for over 3,000 years and represents China’s foremost solo musical instrument tradition. San is played with the right hand and involves plucking open …

Guqin and its music
4 years ago

Guqin and its music

China Daily  

Chen Zilai, a 7-year-old student in Shimei Primary School in Changshu, Jiangsu province, performs in a guqin concert on Aug 29. 2008，Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity The Chinese zither, called guqin, has existed for over 3,000 years and represents China’s foremost solo musical instrument tradition. San is played with the right hand and involves plucking open …

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