An instrument of knowledge

When ancient Chinese mentioned qin, a word that now refers to a range of instruments, it would be likely that they were only talking about one instrument — guqin, the seven-stringed zither.

The ethereal timbre and elegant appearance of guqin have long elevated it to a revered status in Chinese music, a channel of inward reflection practiced by literati of bygone eras and a cultural heritage cherished today.

But for members of the Zide Guqin Studio, it’s not viewed as a relic of the past, but simply as an instrument, like all others, awaiting a musician to explore and unleash its potential in the performance of the various musical styles that resonate with audiences far and wide.

Each of their music videos seems like a work of art in its own right. On social media platforms such as Bilibili, viewers can savor the ancient guqin compositions that have transcended centuries thanks to the instrument’s unique form of textual tablature.

Or, in their most notable style, the videos show a folk music ensemble dressed in traditional Chinese attire, set against a pale gray or yellow backdrop, almost as if the characters of an ancient scroll painting have sprung to life.

These performances encompass a wide array of genres, ranging from adaptations of TV series themes, to classic songs known worldwide. In their renditions, the pieces merge seamlessly with the guqin and other traditional instruments, presenting a simple, yet evocative, typical Chinese sense of beauty.

“Guqin is truly a unique and unparalleled musical instrument in China. It embodies a rich historical and cultural heritage in its essence, as well as the pursuit of selffulfillment,” director of the studio, Zhu Liyue, says.

It started with three young people from different parts of China with varied backgrounds — a professional guqin student, an advertising student deemed a “guqin aficionado”, and an IT professional with a newfound passion for traditional culture. Little did they know that serendipity, born out of their shared love for the guqin, would one day bring them together in Shanghai to start a studio that draws countless youngsters closer to traditional culture.

Cai Shan, born in Zhejiang province’s Taizhou, started learning the guzheng (another type of Chinese zither) at the age of 10, and her teacher suggested to her that the guqin might be an instrument more suited to her calm and composed demeanor.

She was later introduced to Li Fengyun, a Tianjin Conservatory of Music, whose perfor classic guqin piece, Flowing Water, left her aw

“It was evident, from the tonal qualities, instruments are vastly different. Guqin has and introspective nature. Instinctively, I felt and connection with the instrument,” Cai sa

Despite facing disapproval from her pare invested in her guzheng journey, she remain learning the guqin and started working part her studies at the Tianjin conservatory.

It was around that period when she met T just began his university studies, majoring in Captivated by a guqin performance in dir Yimou’s film Hero at senior middle schoo learning the instrument, teaching himself h

“I was naturally drawn to the sounds of th matter of taste that’s difficult to explain appearance, texture, as well as the touch of everything about the guqin feels right to me,

Both of them then sought out to learn fro national-level inheritor of the art form, who stopped taking on new students. However, wit verance and technical proficiency, they were b by the master and relocated to Shanghai to lea

Apart from learning and working, they al NGO that organizes guqin gatherings for fe asts, resembling the traditional salons fr scholars and literati in ancient China.

Guqin has a withdrawn and introspective nature. Instinctively, I felt a resonance and connection with the instrument.”

Cai Shan, member of the Zide Guqin Studio

Listed as “the four friends of literati”, alongside chess (denoting Chinese chess and the game of Go), calligraphy and painting, guqin playing is never merely an entertainment, but also a medium for contemplation, personal cultivation and emotional exchange among kindred spirits. Much like how scholars from the ancient times bonded over a single piece of music, at one fateful gathering, Cai and Tang met Zhu, who had, at the time, been studying the instrument for two years.

It was while working as an IT professional that Zhu picked up his interest in traditional Chinese culture, and a report noting that guqin was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008 caught his attention. “Apart from learning about guqin making the list, I often read about the instrument in books and I developed a longing to try my hand at the instrument,” Zhu says. Two years later, the trio established the Zide Guqin Studio. Driven by their creative ideas and sharp vision, they decided to make videos introducing the versatility of the traditional instrument to the general public.

They first experimented on a short film series titled Guqin Clinic, and gradually developed their unique style, music videos that focus on the beauty of the instrument and reach a wider audience. According to Tang, also the studio’s artistic director, the videos can be divided into four main categories — faithful renditions of ancient pieces, adaptations of ancient pieces, modern music rearranged for the guqin and other folk instruments, as well as original compositions.

“The majority of ancient Chinese music pieces that have survived to this day were written for the guqin. This is not only due to its unique tablature, but also because, in the past, only learned individuals who had the ability to make written records played this instrument,” Tang says.

Among their videos, the most viewed are the rearrangement of contemporary pieces. The studio aims to produce the pieces in harmony with the style of traditional Chinese music, and accurately present Chinese aesthetics. An uploaded video of several minutes can often take an entire day to shoot. Each performer spends around two hours on their makeup and costume, and the pieces are performed repeatedly to ensure the best audio and visual recording.

Now, with around a dozen members, the studio features a team of young people from diverse backgrounds, including Bai Wuxia, a former materials science and history major, and Ye Lijia, who studied nutritional science.

With the team’s eclectic composition and a youthful mindset, members of the studio are free to recommend a piece of music that resonates with them, and it’s often up to Tang to make a decision and to work on the arrangement.

While it makes videos of rearranged popular music, the studio remains committed to recording and passing on ancient guqin pieces in their purest form.

“The modified or rearranged pieces are naturally easier for the contemporary audience to accept, but in the end, some who have experienced all the variations will come to appreciate the essence of music,” Tang adds.