A gathering of guqin masters and amateurs will take place at the Tanbo Qinyuan in Beijing on December 14.

The event, sponsored by the China Guqin Association and Beijing Guqin Society, is a major celebration of the ancient instrument's inclusion into the UNESCO's listing of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Li Xiangting, professor at the China Conservatory of Music, will give a talk aimed at fresh-learners of the musical instrument.

Li will be joined by Wu Zhao, Chen Changlin and other masters in performances or speeches. The event will be broadcast live on the Channel 1 and international Channel 4 of China Central Television.

Guqin lovers like to call their meetings yaji or "noble gatherings" with the most regular meeting held on the second Sunday of every month in Beijing.

Important to the gathering are performances by amateur performers, most of whom are in their 20s or 30s. Some young artists are in their teens.

Ever since the Beijing gathering was started at Tanbo Qinyuan to the north of Anzhen Bridge on the Third Ring Road this year, its charm has been attracting increasing numbers. The latest gathering held on November 9 was attended by some 100 people from throughout the country.

Many in the audience said they knew of the gathering from reading about it on the website, www.chineseguqin.com. There, amateurs and professionals from across the globe have built a "cyber home" to share the latest information about their beloved music.

(China Daily December 2, 2003)