[Live sound] Guqin playing
[Explanation] 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.
[Explanation] In the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, an ethereal guqin piece "Sounds of Ancient Times" echoed over the "Bird's Nest" gymnasium, instantly attracting Wei Xing's attention.
Wei Xing, 35, from Liuzhou, Guangxi, is a guqin maker.
She studied Guzheng at the Conservatory of Music in the university, and never imagined that she would one day be convinced by the charm of Guqin and become the inheritor of the production skills of this ancient musical instrument.
[Concurrent] Guqin maker Wei Xing
The musical instrument used in the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games was the guqin, and the picture at that time was very, very shocking.
It turns out that there is such a "baby" in China that we don't know.
Then I thought about going to study and went to the teacher to study.
Why do you want to play piano later?
That is, I will find that in ancient times, people like Li Bai, Confucius, and Du Fu, in fact, besides playing the qin, they also made the qin by themselves.
So why can others do it and we can't?
[Explanation] In 2015, during a trip to Taiwan to visit relatives, Wei Xing accidentally met Lin Lizheng, a well-known local guqin maker, and began to learn from him.
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.
With the improvement of production skills, Wei Xing's original impetuous temperament also changed.
[Concurrent] Guqin maker Wei Xing
My teacher is a famous qin master in Taiwan, called Lin Lizheng.
My teacher is quite old, it should be almost 80 (years old) this year.
The teacher is a very attentive person. When we first started studying, he asked me to sharpen the knife.
At first, I didn't understand why the teacher kept asking me to sharpen the knife and not let me touch the piano.
For me, I think sharpening a knife is a very simple thing, and I think it is enough to sharpen it casually, but it is not. This thing can sharpen your xinxing.
In the past few years of making piano, including communicating with senior brothers and sisters, and communicating with teachers, I can learn a lot.
[Explanation] Wei Xing said that the production of guqin must strictly follow the tradition and the craftsmanship is complicated.
For example, the lacquer surface needs to be made of "large lacquer" derived from plants, which is polished by hand step by step and repeatedly.
Brothers and sisters once joked that they had to "don't eat for three days" before starting polishing, so that the intensity of polishing was just right.
[Concurrent] Guqin maker Wei Xing
You have to pass it on in a traditional way, and let future generations understand what it is like for our predecessors to make qin.
(For example) some "big lacquer" used on the surface of our piano, which is dedicated to our guqin, from ancient times to the present.
We Chinese also call it "national lacquer".
"Large lacquer" is actually very, very hard, that is, it is very difficult to carve.
For such a piano, you need to grind it very lightly, which takes a month or two.
The better the piano, the longer it takes (to make), and one year is a basic requirement.
[Explanation] In 2018, Wei Xing successfully returned to his hometown.
She had a "garden dream" since she was a child. She rented a farmhouse courtyard in the suburbs of Liuzhou City, and made guqin every day in a beautiful and secluded environment.
Today, Wei Xing has completed a number of customized guqin works, with prices ranging from 10,000 yuan.
[Explanation] At present, Wei Xing also offers Guqin playing classes for adults and teenagers, so that more people can experience the charm of the sound of the ages.
[Concurrent] Guqin maker Wei Xing
In fact, I have also set up a Guqin training class myself to teach.
Everyone thinks that this musical instrument may be boring at the beginning (learning), but it is more difficult to accept.
But as they go deeper, they (they) will feel that this is a very good instrument for self-cultivation, and it is worthy of in-depth study.
Liu Juncong Huang Lijie reports from Liuzhou, Guangxi
Responsible editor: [Luo Pan]