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Moving the strings (弦) of the nation’s heart

When talking about the history of the guqin, Wu Wenguang, a famous performer of the ancient zither (古筝), likes to tell a folk story about the sincere friendship between a musician and his biggest fan.

D1． the Spring and Autumn period, there was a musician named Yu Boya. He lived alone in a forest where he often played the guqin. One day, a passing woodcutter, Zhong Ziqi, was attracted by the sounds of the ancient zither and stopped to l2．. It was the best that he once heard. Yu’s playing created different p3． in Zhong’s mind, such as clouds flowing and waterfalls falling. They became good friends. After many years, when Zhong Ziqi passed away, Yu decided never to play the guqin again because he knew that he wouldn’t have anyone e4． like Zhong to so truly understand his music.

“With the power to e5． the deepest feeling, the guqin becomes the connection between performing and listening,” says Wu. “Today when we talk about t6． Chinese culture, the ancient zither, which was played by many famous people on literature, is surely in the center of the ancient culture.”

Indeed, the guqin, a p7． musical instrument of ancient China’s educated group, was also the favorite instrument of Confucius (孔子). In 2008, it was a8． to the list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

In April, when President Xi Jinping m9． with French President Emmanuel Macron, a classic guqin piece, High Mountain and Flowing Water, was played to celebrate the friendship between the two c10．. The instrument not only shows the past greatness of Chinese civilization (文明), but also continues to shine today.