In China, there is a music art with a long and mysterious history. It is the Lingnan guqin, which has first appeared in Guangzhou as early as 2000 years ago.
Guqin, the Chinese seven-stringed zither with distinctive range and timbres known as the Chinese national music, has always been viewed as the first place among the "Four Arts" - Qin, Qi, Shu, Hua (the arts of the zither, the strategy game of Go, calligraphy, and painting) among Chinese ancient scholars.
Lingnan is a region that is usually rainy and humid, where the natives there are gentle and subtle, making the timbre of Lingnan guqin to be soothing, deep-voiced and peaceful.
The traditional way to make guqin is to use centuries-old China fir wood for the body, and apply natural lacquer and Cornu Cervi Degelatinatum as a surface coating.
The process is incredibly intricate, involving steps such as material selection, carving the wood, sound testing, assembling, wrapping with cloth, lacquering, fitting parts, polishing, stringing, and more. It takes at least more than one and a half years to make a guqin.
As an important part of Chinese music culture, Lingnan guqin showcases the profound essence of Lingnan civilization. Learning the Lingnan guqin is not an easy task. It requires dedicating a significant amount of time to practicing and possessing a deep cultural literacy to truly master the musical skills and find more about the secrets of Lingnan guqin.
Source:Yangcheng Evening News
