China News Service, May 16 Question: Guqin Makers in Guangxi Farmyards: Going to Taiwan to Bring Skills Back to Their Hometown
Author Liu Juncong Huang Lijie
In a field manor in Liujiang District, Liuzhou City, Guangxi, the firewood for cooking by the fire was roaring loudly.
At this time, Wei Xing held a brush, and skillfully painted the guqin blank with "big lacquer" over and over again.
This is a natural lacquer derived from plants, and only traditional guqin making goes through this important process step.
Wei Xing, born in 1985, is a guqin maker who has been studying guqin making for more than three years.
She studied Guzheng at the Conservatory of Music at the university, and never imagined that she would one day deal with Guqin and become the inheritor of the production skills of this ancient musical instrument.
Wei Xing is preparing "big lacquer", a natural paint made from plants.
Photo by Liu Juncong
In the 2008 Olympic Games, an ethereal guqin piece "Sounds of Ancient Times" echoed over the "Bird's Nest" gymnasium, attracting attention from all over the world, including Wei Xing, who just graduated from college.
"I was instantly fascinated by its unique timbre. Before the Olympic tune was played, almost no one knew about the guqin, and many people would mistake the guqin for the guzheng, so it was very difficult to learn." Wei Xing said.
As a last resort, Wei Xing at that time could only learn to play the guqin by himself with the help of relevant textbooks.
With the rapid development of his playing skills, Wei Xing became more and more fond of this ancient musical instrument.
In 2015, while visiting relatives in Taiwan, Wei Xing met Lin Lizheng, a well-known local guqin maker by chance.
"At that time, I wanted to take Master Lin as a teacher and learn the craftsmanship of guqin. However, Master Lin did not agree with me when he watched a video of a girl. In the end, it took a long time for the master to accept me as an apprentice. , Guqin production is not an easy task." Wei Xing said.
Wei Xing said that the production of guqin needs to strictly follow the tradition, and the craftsmanship is complicated.
Just the process of polishing the lacquer surface needs to be done step by step, and it needs to be polished repeatedly by hand.
"The key point of this craft is not to use force, but to polish lightly. Brothers and sisters joked that they should 'no food for three days' before starting to polish, so the strength is just right." Wei Xing said with a smile.
The tedious and boring production process, coupled with the high-standard production requirements of the master, made this girl who had left home once thought of giving up.
And an extremely harsh rebuke from the master completely collapsed Wei Xing's psychological defense line.
"I immediately wanted to pack up and go back to my hometown. But then I calmed down and thought about it carefully. If I don't learn this skill, then this musical instrument is very likely to be lost in the future." With the comfort of the brothers and sisters, Wei Xing took it again. Picking up the carving knife, "Learning guqin making is also training and practice, and it taught me to meditate," she said.
Three years later, Wei Xing said goodbye to his master and classmates, and returned to his hometown after successfully completing his studies.
Wei Xing, who had a "garden dream" since he was a child, rented a farmhouse courtyard in the suburbs of Liuzhou City, and made guqin every day in a beautiful and secluded environment.
She said that it takes 1 to 2 years to make each piece of guqin, and she has completed a number of customized pieces of guqin, with prices ranging from 10,000 yuan.
Wei Xing is playing the guqin.
Photo by Liu Juncong
It is understood that the history of the guqin can be traced back to the pre-Qin period, and has a history of at least 3,000 years.
As a musical instrument with a high status in ancient Chinese culture, the guqin has been a bridge for many literati to communicate and learn from since ancient times.
After many years of silence, the guqin has once again attracted the attention and love of the Chinese people, and has gradually become one of the teaching subjects of major music schools in the past two years.
"The domestic environment is slowly getting better, and more and more people are beginning to learn about this ancient musical instrument from me. I am glad to see that it has not been forgotten." Wei Xing said.
At present, Wei Xing has also opened Guqin playing classes for adults and teenagers, so that more people can experience the charm of the sound of the ages.
"Everyone likes it very much, and I will try my best to teach them how to play. I don't want this instrument to be lost in our generation." Wei Xing said.
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