Plucking at the strings of the nation's heart

New inheritors

Huang Mei, one of Wu Wenguang's students, is one of the first musicians in the country to hold a PhD in guqin music.

"Wu (Wenguang) not only taught me how to play the instrument, but also how to comprehend the spirit behind it, especially what it symbolizes in traditional Chinese culture," says Huang, 44.

"I've noticed that many young people enjoy guqin nowadays. They find they can escape from their daily lives temporarily by playing or listening to guqin music, which makes them feel calm."

Sun Haopeng, 28, is a student of Huang and Wu Wenguang. "When I listened to the guqin for the first time, I was 14 years old. Back then, soccer was the most important part of my life and I dreamed about becoming a soccer player. The guqin gave me the feeling that I had never experienced before; I was quiet and focused."

Thanks to his uncle, who runs a guqin business, from manufacturing the instrument to teaching it, Sun learned to play and enrolled to study at the China Conservatory of Music in 2014. He practiced about eight hours a day.

In 2021, when Wu Wenguang had a concert marking the 65th anniversary of his music career, his students, including Huang and Sun, also performed.

Contact the writer at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn