Modern Guqin Masters

In recent times, a dozen or so Guqin masters have emerged in China, including Wang Lu, Guan Pinghu, Zha Fuxi, Zhang Ziqian, Wu Jinglue, and Gu Meigeng. They have mastered the strong points of the various schools of this instrument and grasped the interpretation of a large number of pieces of Guqin music, manifesting not only their musical skills but also their deep aesthetic appreciation.

Risk of Disappearance

Throughout history, philosophers and artists such as Confucius, Cai Yong, and Ji Kang were all masters of the instrument. Old records contain a large number of treatises on Guqin, and thousands of pieces of music for this instrument have been preserved.

Nowadays, there are fewer than 1,000 well-trained Guqin players and perhaps no more than 50 surviving masters. The original repertory of several thousand compositions has drastically dwindled to a mere 100 works that are regularly performed today. Guqin's traditional function as a means of cultivating moral and intellectual character has almost entirely disappeared. Consequently, this once-complex holistic tradition has been reduced to a professional performing art.

Action plan

A major research program will be launched to study the existing Guqin instruments, repertories, notations, and manufacturing and playing techniques. In order to safeguard the philosophical and musical culture related to Guqin, the action plan endeavors to improve the financial and material situations of the practitioners by awarding lifelong scholarships. Young performers will be trained through newly established university-level courses in the art of Guqin taught by recognized masters.