Qin schools
Encyclopedia
A qin school is a school of guqin
players that play in a style that is different from other styles.
People often talk about regional styles because such a model simplifies things — and because it is still somewhat applicable, though less so now than 100 years ago. Generally guqin is highly individualistic so players' approaches will be very personal.
Today the three main centers of guqin are Beijing
, the Jiangnan
area (lower Yangtze valley, including Shanghai
) and Sichuan
(especially Chengdu
). Most major masters as of the 1950s were located in Beijing or Jiangnan; before that, they had been more concentrated in Jiangnan. For instance, Zha Fuxi
and Wu Jinglüe
spent many years living and teaching in Jiangnan before being relocated to Beijing for official duties. "Regional styles" as of 50-60 years ago would be rather different from "regional styles" in the present day, owing to the importance of a few masters and the conservatories in Beijing and Shanghai. Presently, given the strength of the conservatory system, "northern and southern conservatory styles" probably deserve their own status, separate from the older regional styles.
Major living Jiangnan lineages include Guangling, Zhe
(Xumen) and Wumen
. Others, like a "Jinling" style centered in Nanjing
, don't really seem to exist anymore — though there's always an old master or two as counterexample.
Generally (stereotypically), the Jiangnan styles are thought of as rather light and elegant. Guangling is very abstract, even "floating", and today the southern conservatory style is the more "light and elegant" of the conservatory styles. Sichuan
, as early as the Tang dynasty
, was perceived as having qin play characterized by rushing, tumbling energy. The modern Sichuan/Shu/Chuan school was largely founded by Zhang Kongshan in the late 19th century; his inheritors have been very numerous. As the Sichuan style fanned out into other areas of China (as it seemed to do rather successfully in the early 20th century), it became known as "Fanchuan", whose connotation is something like "Chuan – Everywhere". Today the main representative is Zeng Chengwei
, who has a very focused, straightforward style.
, with a lot of folk influence and energy. "Zhucheng
" still refers to the sub-set of players who stayed in Shandong. Xu Lisun became the doyen of the "Mei'an" style when he moved to Nantong
, in Jiangnan. From there he taught many of the living Jiangnan players, directly or indirectly. In addition, a student of his named Wu Zonghan moved to Taiwan
(in 1949?) and has made Taiwan (and by extension Hong Kong
) a major reservoir of Mei'an influence.
. The "Min" school, of which Chen Changlin calls himself an inheritor, seems largely dead today. In Guangdong
there is the Lingnan
school, whose major player is Xie Daoxiu. Much cannot be said about these, though Lingnan playing is very interesting.
Miniature "regional styles" abound and are gathered around particular important teachers. For instance, many in Hong Kong studied from Cai Deyun, who has a very distinctive style ultimately derived from Sichuan.
since then. He has numerous students; to some extent "southern conservatory style" reduces to "Gong Yi style", just like "Wumen" reduces to "Wu Zhaoji style". Gong Yi has very distinctive ideas and has done major interesting work.
Little is known about Beijing styles prior to the 1950s; the "big three" of mid-century Beijing all apparently had styles hailing from elsewhere. Guan Pinghu
apparently based his playing on southern styles, though he studied with masters from all over; Wu Jinglüe and Zha Fuxi were both southerners. It's important to realize that there are lineages and micro-lineages and associations among all masters. For instance, there was some kind of long association between Zha Fuxi and Peng Qingshou (both from Hunan
?) that may have been artistically productive. In any event, if there is a "Beijing style" today, it is largely the "northern conservatory style".
Northern conservatory style has two main representatives today: Li Xiangting
and Wu Wenguang. The primary older masters contributing to the making of this style were Wu Jinglüe, Zha Fuxi, and Guan Pinghu. Generally, the northern conservatory style is heavier, harder, and more intense than the southern conservatory style. Li Xiangting is of course known for being very hard and athletic in his playing; Wu Wenguang, while rather lighter, still has a more intense and serious tone than Gong Yi.
Guqin
The guqin is the modern name for a plucked seven-string Chinese musical instrument of the zither family...
players that play in a style that is different from other styles.
People often talk about regional styles because such a model simplifies things — and because it is still somewhat applicable, though less so now than 100 years ago. Generally guqin is highly individualistic so players' approaches will be very personal.
Styles and schools
These are the main schools in China:- Guangling (廣陵/广陵)
- Yushan (虞山 also known as Qinchuan (琴川) or Shu (熟)) in ChangshuChangshuChangshu is a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Suzhou, and is located in the south-eastern part of eastern-China’s Jiangsu Province as well as the Yangtze River Delta...
常熟 - Shu (蜀 or Chuan (川)) in SichuanSichuan' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
四川 - Zhucheng (諸城/诸城)
- Mei'an (梅庵/楳盦)
- Pucheng (浦城)
- Jiuyi (九嶷)
- ZheZhe schoolThe Zhe school is a school of musicians for the guqin. It should not be confused with the Zhe school of landscape painters.-References:-External links:*...
(浙) - Lingnan (嶺南/岭南) in GuangdongGuangdongGuangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
廣東/广东 - Min (閩/闽) in FujianFujian' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
福建 - Shaoxing (紹興/绍兴)
- Wu (吳/吴)
- Shan'nan (山南)
- Songjiang (松江)
- Jinling (金陵)
- Fanchuan (泛川)
Today the three main centers of guqin are Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, the Jiangnan
Jiangnan
Jiangnan or Jiang Nan is a geographic area in China referring to lands immediately to the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, including the southern part of the Yangtze Delta...
area (lower Yangtze valley, including Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
) and Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
(especially Chengdu
Chengdu
Chengdu , formerly transliterated Chengtu, is the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China. It holds sub-provincial administrative status...
). Most major masters as of the 1950s were located in Beijing or Jiangnan; before that, they had been more concentrated in Jiangnan. For instance, Zha Fuxi
Zha Fuxi
Zha Fuxi was a leading player and scholar of the guqin. Born in Jiangxi, he started learning guqin in his childhood. In 1936, he co-founded the Jinyu Society Qin Society which later became one of the major national musical organizations for the guqin.Apart from his profession on guqin, he worked...
and Wu Jinglüe
Wu Jinglüe
Wu Jinglüe is considered one of the most important guqin players of the 20th century and was also an active researcher and teacher...
spent many years living and teaching in Jiangnan before being relocated to Beijing for official duties. "Regional styles" as of 50-60 years ago would be rather different from "regional styles" in the present day, owing to the importance of a few masters and the conservatories in Beijing and Shanghai. Presently, given the strength of the conservatory system, "northern and southern conservatory styles" probably deserve their own status, separate from the older regional styles.
Regional styles
As far as older regional styles, the best-known ones are from Jiangnan and Sichuan. Some have relocated several times, like the Zhucheng/Mei'an style.Major living Jiangnan lineages include Guangling, Zhe
Zhe
Zhe can refer to:* Zhe , a letter of the Cyrillic alphabet* Že, a letter of the Arabic alphabet* Zhejiang, a province of China* Qiantang River, the river after which Zhejiang Province was named...
(Xumen) and Wumen
Wumen
Wumen Huikai is a Song period Chán master most famous as the compiler of and commentator on the 48-koan collection The Gateless Gate . Wumen was at that time the monastery.Wumen was born in Hangzhou and his first master was Gong Heshang...
. Others, like a "Jinling" style centered in Nanjing
Nanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
, don't really seem to exist anymore — though there's always an old master or two as counterexample.
- For several generations the major qin lineage in ZhejiangZhejiangZhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
has been surnamed XuXuXu can be a pinyin transliteration of one of several Chinese surnames:#, also spelled Hsu or Chui or Tsui or Tu or Eu#, also spelled Hui or Hii...
; Yao Bingyan and his tentative "Yaomen" lineage are an off-shoot. One can't really say much about this style; it is not so well known, though several Xumen masters have been very respected. - In SuzhouSuzhouSuzhou , previously transliterated as Su-chou, Suchow, and Soochow, is a major city located in the southeast of Jiangsu Province in Eastern China, located adjacent to Shanghai Municipality. The city is situated on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Taihu Lake and is a part...
there is the Wumen style, most associated with Wu ZhaojiWu ZhaojiWu Zhaoji also known as Xiangquan, was born in Hunan in 1908, China. At the age of 4, his family moved to Suzhou, where he lived the rest of his life until his death in 1997. Raised in a musical family, he learned the guqin from his father, and in 1921 became a student of Wu Jinyang. From a young...
and his teachers before him. "Wumen" is named after "Wu Place" (吳地, old Chinese name of SuzhouSuzhouSuzhou , previously transliterated as Su-chou, Suchow, and Soochow, is a major city located in the southeast of Jiangsu Province in Eastern China, located adjacent to Shanghai Municipality. The city is situated on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Taihu Lake and is a part...
area), and Wu ZhaojiWu ZhaojiWu Zhaoji also known as Xiangquan, was born in Hunan in 1908, China. At the age of 4, his family moved to Suzhou, where he lived the rest of his life until his death in 1997. Raised in a musical family, he learned the guqin from his father, and in 1921 became a student of Wu Jinyang. From a young...
's legacy seems to define the school in large measure. - Guangling style is very prominent, mainly because it heavily influenced the "southern conservatory style". Guangling was originally centered in YangzhouYangzhouYangzhou is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China. Sitting on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, it borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yancheng to the northeast, Taizhou to the east, and Zhenjiang across...
; its two major 20th century masters were Zhang ZiqianZhang ziqianZhang Ziqian , a famous seven-string zither qin players, was born in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, The People's Republic of China. He studied the guqin with a guqin master Suo Shaotao at the age of thirteenth. In the 1930s, Zhang moved to Shanghai and worked as an accountant at a salt factory. In...
and Liu Shaochun. These taught a number of students destined for prominence, and Zhang himself became the de factoDe factoDe facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
leading qin master in Jiangnan during the 1950s and 1960s. Major players today with strong Guangling influence include Gong YiGong YiGong Yi is a guqin master from Shanghai, presently one of the instrument's leading figures. Born in Nanjing, he trained first under several local players before proceeding to the Shanghai Conservatory where he absorbed a range of styles from such prominent masters as Zhang Ziqian, Xu Lisun, Gu...
, Cheng Gongliang, Lin YourenLin YourenLin Youren is a noted player of the Chinese musical instrument guqin. He famous for his unaffected playing style. Lin also taught guqin at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, but has since retired....
, Mei Yueqiang, and their various students.
Generally (stereotypically), the Jiangnan styles are thought of as rather light and elegant. Guangling is very abstract, even "floating", and today the southern conservatory style is the more "light and elegant" of the conservatory styles. Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
, as early as the Tang dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
, was perceived as having qin play characterized by rushing, tumbling energy. The modern Sichuan/Shu/Chuan school was largely founded by Zhang Kongshan in the late 19th century; his inheritors have been very numerous. As the Sichuan style fanned out into other areas of China (as it seemed to do rather successfully in the early 20th century), it became known as "Fanchuan", whose connotation is something like "Chuan – Everywhere". Today the main representative is Zeng Chengwei
Zeng Chengwei
Zeng Chengwei is a Chinese musician of the guqin, born in the Sichuan province of China. He is a sixth-generation transmitter of the Shu school of qin music, having studied with his maternal grandfather, Yu Shaoze. Zeng is also a gifted maker of the instrument.-Style:Zeng's style is fluid and yet...
, who has a very focused, straightforward style.
Zhucheng/Mei'an schools
These schools started in ShandongShandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
, with a lot of folk influence and energy. "Zhucheng
Zhucheng
Zhucheng is a county-level city in the southeast of Shandong province, People's Republic of China. It is under the administration of Weifang City and has a population of 1.06 million.-History:Zhucheng was originally known as Langya...
" still refers to the sub-set of players who stayed in Shandong. Xu Lisun became the doyen of the "Mei'an" style when he moved to Nantong
Nantong
Nantong is a prefecture-level city in Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China. Located on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, near the river mouth, Nantong is a vital river port bordering Yancheng to the north, Taizhou to the west, Suzhou and Shanghai to the south across the river, and...
, in Jiangnan. From there he taught many of the living Jiangnan players, directly or indirectly. In addition, a student of his named Wu Zonghan moved to Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
(in 1949?) and has made Taiwan (and by extension Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
) a major reservoir of Mei'an influence.
Other schools
Moving down the east coast of China, we have FujianFujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
. The "Min" school, of which Chen Changlin calls himself an inheritor, seems largely dead today. In Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
there is the Lingnan
Lingnan
Lingnan is a geographic area referring to lands in the south of China's "Five Ranges" which are Tayu, Qitian, Dupang, Mengzhu, Yuecheng. The region covers the Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan and Jiangxi provinces of modern China and northern Vietnam...
school, whose major player is Xie Daoxiu. Much cannot be said about these, though Lingnan playing is very interesting.
Miniature "regional styles" abound and are gathered around particular important teachers. For instance, many in Hong Kong studied from Cai Deyun, who has a very distinctive style ultimately derived from Sichuan.
Conservatory styles
The "southern conservatory style" is basically what goes on at the Shanghai Conservatory where qin is concerned. A number of masters (including Zhang Ziqian, Wei Zhongle, Shen Caonong, Gu Meigeng, and others) taught there in the 1950s, and Gong Yi has been the doyenDoyen
Doyen is a surname. The word doyen is derived from the French term for dean, e.g. Dean and Dean ....
since then. He has numerous students; to some extent "southern conservatory style" reduces to "Gong Yi style", just like "Wumen" reduces to "Wu Zhaoji style". Gong Yi has very distinctive ideas and has done major interesting work.
Little is known about Beijing styles prior to the 1950s; the "big three" of mid-century Beijing all apparently had styles hailing from elsewhere. Guan Pinghu
Guan Pinghu
Guan Pinghu , was a leading player of the guqin , a Chinese 7-string bridgeless zither. Born in Suzhou, Jiangsu, Guan came from an artistic family, and started to learn the guqin from his father, Guan Nianci. After the death of his father when he was thirteen, Guan continued with his father’s...
apparently based his playing on southern styles, though he studied with masters from all over; Wu Jinglüe and Zha Fuxi were both southerners. It's important to realize that there are lineages and micro-lineages and associations among all masters. For instance, there was some kind of long association between Zha Fuxi and Peng Qingshou (both from Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
?) that may have been artistically productive. In any event, if there is a "Beijing style" today, it is largely the "northern conservatory style".
Northern conservatory style has two main representatives today: Li Xiangting
Li Xiangting
Prof. Li Xiangting is considered one of the master players of the guqin. He was born in Liaoyuan, Jilin in 1940. At an early point he became interested in the guqin and studied under Zha Fuxi. He entered the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, China in 1958, graduated in 1963 and would later...
and Wu Wenguang. The primary older masters contributing to the making of this style were Wu Jinglüe, Zha Fuxi, and Guan Pinghu. Generally, the northern conservatory style is heavier, harder, and more intense than the southern conservatory style. Li Xiangting is of course known for being very hard and athletic in his playing; Wu Wenguang, while rather lighter, still has a more intense and serious tone than Gong Yi.