Across China: Ancient guqin regains vitality with
individual preservation efforts

During a gathering of amateur guqin players in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, numerous attendees eagerly queued up for a chance to play a rare piece of this ancient seven-stringed zither dating back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

The venue soon filled with the soul-stirring notes of this quaint musical instrument, showcasing the generous spirit of Jian Guochuan, a 56-year-old entrepreneur from Taiwan, who shared his treasured guqin with the enthusiasts.

"Many claimed my deeds run counter to the principle of protecting the cultural relic, as they worry that the guqin could sustain damage," Jian said. "I believe that the ancient heritage can truly realize its value only when the sound of this instrument resonates with a broader audience."

Guqin has existed for over 3,000 years and represents China's foremost solo musical instrument tradition. It was listed as an intangible cultural heritage in 2008, which helped unlock the passion of many to learn the ancient instrument and Jian was one of them.

Jian's interest in guqin grew after he once listened to an album by Guan Pinghu, a famous Chinese guqin master. He started to play the instrument in his 50s and embarked on a journey to look for guqin collectibles across China.

To his disappointment, Jian soon discovered that many guqin collectors lacked the ability to play the instrument themselves, resulting in it being stored away in warehouses. He even came across some guqins lying in a state of utter dilapidation, which pained him deeply.

With the aim of preserving and utilizing the centuries-old relics more effectively, Jian began learning how to restore this musical instrument under the guidance of the revered guqin repair expert, Zheng Dexuan.

"Even the slightest damage on a guqin often requires at least five months of repair," Jian said, adding that he would spend entire days hunched over the workbench in his studio, restoring the musical instrument.

To date, Jian has collected and repaired more than 20 pieces of guqin. In 2019, he took the initiative to launch a cultural program, organizing periodic gatherings of guqin lovers and conducting training courses to teach the art of playing this precious instrument.

Jian is not the only one dedicated to the mission of sharing the timeless and captivating melody of the guqin with others.

Wang Xi, who is one of Jian's guqin teachers and also teaches at the School of Music at Southwest University in Chongqing, now organizes concerts and gatherings for local guqin enthusiasts. Wang has taught more than 400 people, including her college students on campus, office workers, and even some pupils, the art of playing guqin.

As an inheritor of the intangible heritage, Wang considers it her personal duty to promote guqin culture and raise awareness about this invaluable musical instrument.

Li Hao, a 19-year-old student majoring in music education at the university in Chongqing, eagerly enrolled in Wang's guqin lessons during his very first year at the university.

"Learning the traditional musical instrument is incredibly cool because our Chinese traditional culture will always remain a trendsetter," Li said, adding that he aspires to become a teacher in a primary or middle school in the future.

"I hope to make use of my knowledge to encourage more youngsters to learn and fall in love with guqin culture," he added.