Guzheng players performing at the opening ceremony. [Xinhua]

Traditional Chinese music is gaining in worldwide popularity, playing an important role in today's contemporary scene. Catering to the growing demand and with the aim of promoting traditional Chinese music, the first Guzheng Beijing International Music Festival kicked off July 26 at the National Indoor Stadium with an unprecedented super gala.

The festival's opening featured 1,000 guzheng players performing together, ranging from amateurs to professionals and hailing from across the globe including the US, Japan, Canada and Singapore, as well as local players from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.

"The music festival is the first music gala in China featuring a single traditional instrument and it is the largest guzheng performance in terms of the number of players and scale," said Niu Song, president of the event's organizing committee.

"It is so nice and fantastic and I think it is the most beautiful sound among traditional Chinese instruments. I have heard some instruments such as the Chinese pipa and erhu before, but I still regard the guzheng as the most memorable, it's the best," said Markus Noerenberg, an audience member from Germany.

With a history dating back 3,000 years, the guzheng is considered to be representative of traditional Chinese instruments. Playing an integral part in Chinese music history, it has been popular for centuries. According to event organizers, the number of people learning the guzheng in China is second only to that of piano.

The guzheng's recent increase in international popularity can also be credited to its integration into the pop music field. Chinese rock stars Cui Jian and Xie Tianxiao and Taiwan-based pop music icon Jay Chou have all used the guzheng in their compositions and performances.

In Chou's music, especially his tracks with a strong Chinese style such as Fragrance of Grassland and Chrysanthemum Terrace, the infusion of traditional sounds from the guzheng have proved to be very popular.

Twelve Girls Band, a contemporary Chinese instrumental group that features the guzheng as well as other traditional Chinese instruments, has caused a sensation in the music world recently with their signature blend of traditional Chinese music, Western pop and classical music. "It is not unusual for the guzheng to be combined with pop music, it shows that people are recognizing the potential and charm of this traditional instrument," explained Wang Zhongshan, a guzheng professor from the China Conservatory of Music.

"Using a traditional musical instrument like the guzheng in contemporary music is basically an inheritance and revival of the classics. The new style conforms to requirements of modern audiences while at the same time adds impetus to traditional art," famous guzheng player Ji Wei told the Global Times.

"The guzheng is closely linked with Chinese rock and every time I perform overseas I am overwhelmed to hear that local musicians are very interested in this traditional instrument. They regard the sound as quite international and I always cherish the fact that we nurture and promote traditional music in China," explained Xie Tianxiao.

The Guzheng Beijing International Music Festival wraps up Friday with afternoon and evening performances all week.

(Global Times July 29, 2009)