The History of Guqin in Chinese Culture

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Relationship to Ancient Poetry
Development of Guqin
The Story about Guqin Music and Friendship
Guqin’s Development Nowadays
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

Guqin is a plucked seven-stringed traditional Chinese musical instrument of the zither family with many years of history. The original name of Guqin was Qin; the Chinese believe that the instrument was invented by Fux, a tribe leader in ancient China. The name guqin was developed in the 20^th century, and a prefix was added to the original name Qin to mean ancient and distinguish it from the other pianos. The instrument’s physical appearance was also symbolic according to Chinese culture. Guqin was part of the Chinese culture, and only the noblemen and scholars would play it. The instrument also defines the philosophy and literature of the Chinese and has created the history of the country. Thus, this report discusses guqin and its various aspects, such as the relationship to ancient poetry and development.

Relationship to Ancient Poetry

Guqin musical instruments had a relationship with poetry alongside the literature and the Chinese culture, such as Yu Boya and Zhong Ziqi. The two led to the existence of the idiom high mountains and flowing water, which means two bosom friends. Bosom’s friends suggested that many Chinese phrases and allusions originate from guqin. Under the reign of Emperor Shun, one of the five emperors of Chinese Qin was introduced with five strings to represent the five essential universe elements, which are metal, wood, water, and fire. Guqin is believed to be five fen, three chi, and six cun (meaning 135 centimeters), representing the 365 days of the year (Deng 5). The original five strings of the instrument have two symbols. For instance, the five elements of Chinese philosophy and the five tunes. The Chinese philosophy elements are Jin, Mu, Shui, Huo, and Tu, while the five tunes are Gong, Shang, Jue, Zhi, and Yu. King Wen, the first ruler of the Zhou dynasty, mourned his son; the string symbolizes sorrow.

King Wu added the seventh string when his country was at war; the string symbolized the military, the line produces the masculine sound to represent bravery and courage. The 13 dots of inlaid ivory and jade indicate the pitch positions and represent the 13 months in the intercalary lunar year (Deng 13). In addition, the Chinese believe that the instrument contained the sounds of the universe, entertaining, soothing, and inspiring. Guqin has three types of tones Anyin, Fanyin, and Sanyin, where the tone types are determined by how the strings are plucked while playing. Many people argue that the playing of Guqin represents the union between heaven, earth, and man. The instrument was also used as a truth tool in the Chinese philosophical tradition (Tan and Mengchen 139). Thus, the instrument has been used in various ways by many Chinese individuals in ancient poetry.

Development of Guqin

The Chinese zither has been in existence for more than many years, where it had developed over the years when it was referred to as Qin. The instrument represents one of the richest Chinese solo musical instrument cultures. The instrument cannot be separated from the Chinese culture since it was played by noblemen and scholars and was never intended to be performed in public gatherings. The development of the instrument has led to its performance in public to show their culture (Deng 22). The instrument was among the four arts alongside painting, playing chess, and calligraphy that the Chinese scholars were to master; it took them not less than 20 years to attain proficiency.

Over the years, the skilled, well-trained guqin players are less, and the masters of the instruments have reduced. Moreover, the original version of playing the instrument has faded; more than a thousand modifications have been developed over the years. The original instrument had seven strings, and over the years, the strings were added to seven (Hou and Isaiah 6). The ancient Qin had larger lines which, through development, they became thinner. The Qin was shorter than the current guqin that is being played using open strings. The Qin was rough, unlike today’s guqin that is smooth and it’s easier for it to slide. The ancient Qin did not mark the harmonic position; in today’s guqin, there are harmonic marks to enable the Qin player to play.

The instrument has developed over the years as it is described using three periods. For instance, in the first period, the playing of Qin was done in the court orchestra. In the second period, the guqin was played in the imperial court and was used for entertainment. In the third period, the guqin playing methods were refined, more poems and music developed as a result of the guqin. In the 20^th century, one of the best players of Qin was chosen to be among the Voyager Golden Record, a platform for world music that was sent into outer space by NASA during the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft seven (Hou and Isaiah 5). Moreover, guqin music was termed as one of the intangible and oral heritage of humanity.

The Story about Guqin Music and Friendship

Guqin’s melody “High Mountain flowing water” signifies that playing Guqin can enhance people’s friendship. The famous melody was played to Ziqi by Boya, and Ziqi was the only one who could understand the message that Boya wanted to convey through his music. The original version of the song was captured during the Ming dynasty. The song was later broken into and flower water during the tang dynasty. Boya was taught how to play guqin by his master, and he promised him that he would bring another master who was better than him (Yung 387). The master left Boya for a couple of days, but he did not see anyone.

Boya and Ziqi met during the autumn season when Boya was on a journey to Chu. During his trip, as he was crossing the river Hanyang, he ran into a storm that prevented him from sailing forward. He stepped ashore in the rain; as he waited for the storm to calm, he took his guqin and started to play (Yung 385). He saw a man in the darkness dressed in a woodcutter attire, Boya was startled and pulled one of the cords harder, and it broke. Boya drew his eyes closed and saw a man dressed like a woodcutter and asked the man if he could understand his music, the woodcutter named the song right, and Boya was surprised. The woodman was polite; he invited him over to his boat, he played music, and the man would get the music right. The woodman told Boya that music comes from the inner soul, arguing that it sounded like towering peaks or high mountains upon listening to his music

Boya introduced himself and asked the woodman for his name; the woodman told Boya that his name was Zhong Ziqi. Boya was delighted to find someone who could understand his music, and the two cherished each other. They often arranged for meetings and traveled together; they would organize when and where to meet next before departure. Years later, as Boya went to look for his friend at the prearranged meeting point, he learned that his friend had passed on and buried some few days ago. Boya went to his grave and mourned as he played the songs they played together with his guqin. Realizing that no other person was going to understand his music, Boya pulled of the cords of his guqin; since then, he never played guqin again. Thus, the story of Boya and guqin is largely used to show the relationship between guqin and companionship. Moreover, the Chinese often used the phrase “High Mountain flowing water” as a metaphor for enduring friendship.

Guqin’s Development Nowadays

Over the years, development of the guqin music instrument has been experienced. Innovation of modern musical instruments and the modification of the ancient ones have happened in the 21^st century. When guqin was invented, it was believed to be for the dynasties. Moreover, they owned the instrument; hence they were the people who knew how it was played (Hou and Isaiah 5). In modern society, training in playing guqin has been introduced in schools in China to preserve their culture and philosophy. A more modernized Guqin has been invented; for instance, in the late 20^th century, an electric guqin was developed. The instrument was also amplified through the addition of magnetic pick-ups to a regular guqin.

Guqin was performed for dynasties over the years; however, this has changed, and the instrument can be played everywhere on different occasions. In 2018 the instrument was played during a summit that identified the instrument as one Chinese culture. There were less than 2000 guqins during ancient times, but through innovation and development, many are available in the market. In ancient times, it was played for dynasties and the love of music; for instance, Boya played the instrument for king Ju and his passion for music. However, in the modern world, people are playing it at various events to earn money. Moreover, doctors have argued that guqin music can be used to treat insomnia (Fung 48). Therefore, guqin music has become vital in many Chinese communities, making the instrument become more popular.

Conclusion

In conclusion, guqin is an ancient musical instrument that has preserved the Chinese culture up to date. During ancient times, the instrument was believed to be for the noblemen. The music instrument has its symbolism on its physical appearance initiated by the ancient emperors. The instrument has also contributed to building relationships through music. For example, the friendship between Boya and Ziqi. Guqin has also developed in different ways over the years. For instance, playing the instrument is no longer rooted in the noblemen but in everyone interested in knowing more about the instrument. Moreover, people are using guqin to treat health conditions, which has led to its increased fame in China. Therefore, the various aspects of guqin show that it is an essential instrument in Chinese culture.

Works Cited

Deng, Haiqiong. Making the Intangible Tangible: Rediscovering Music and Wellbeing Through the Guqin Culture of Modern China. 2020. The Florida State University. PhD dissertation.

Fung, Miranda M.Y, et al. “Chinese Guqin Music and Calligraphy for Treating Symptoms of Primary Insomnia.”Chinese Medicine and Culture vol. 2. no.1, 2019, pp. 48-49. Web.

Hou, Jinjin, and Lee Chie Tsang Isaiah. “The Development of ‘Chinese Style’Piano Music Influenced by Chinese Traditional Musical Instrument.” SSRN, Apr.2021, pp. 1-6. Web.

Tan, Leonard, and Mengchen Lu. “I Wish to Be Wordless”: Philosophizing Through the Chinese Guqin.”Philosophy of Music Education Review, vol. 26. no. 2, 2018, pp. 139-154. Web.

Yung, Bell. “The Flowing Waters: Guqin Music of Liang Mingyue.” Ethnomusicology, vol. 61, no. 2, 2017, pp. 379-388. Web.

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