Once an indispensable part of the self-education for all highbrow intellectuals in China, the ancient art of seven-stringed guqin playing has long been confined into a musical skill or hobby only mastered by a small group of more profound minds.

On November 7, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) proclaimed the art of guqin music along with another 27 masterpieces arts from across the world as an Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. Chinese experts expect the proclamation will be a strong boost to their effort to revitalize the artistic tradition.

Legendary instrument

Many legends trace the origin of guqin to the fountainhead of the Chinese civilization long before the Xia Dynasty (c. 21st-16th centuries BC).

Unlike other musical instruments, guqin was never intended for entertaining purposes or mass audiences during ancient times. First and foremost, the practitioners of guqin - all of them well-educated intellectuals - regarded the art as a way to help them come to the subtle and delicate self-perfection in cultural cultivation.

In imperial China, a well-developed scholar was expected to be skilled in four arts: the guqin, the game of go chess, calligraphy and painting.

The art of guqin appeals to the philosophy of both Taoism and Confucianism.

To the ear of the Taoist disciples, guqin's music harbours the ineffable metaphysics of the world. They believe that playing guqin or listening to the music would help one live a more meditative life, cultivate a stronger instinct to understand nature, and establish a more harmonious relationship between the individual and the cosmos.

Over centuries, tales and legends have been passed down to tell of the miraculous power and charm of guqin music. The best of the music is described as expressive of the mood of the animate world and foreboding the vicissitudes of human affairs.

As for the Confucian, they regarded guqin as an important vehicle for individuals to access the high moral and spiritual level they advocate.

The music of guqin is chaste, pure and elegant, and to play the instrument the artist is required to be highly concentrated on the abstract spiritual world the music delivers.

All these traits make it a helpful lesson for orthodox Chinese intellectuals to cultivate a desirable personality and disposition, and to whet their intelligence.

Highbrow vs popular

However, the highly refined nature of the art of guqin, by which it distinguished itself in history, is liable to place it in the danger of being marginalized as fashion changes.

In fact, in as early as Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), the position of guqin music as the dominant source of music in intellectuals' life met a serious challenge.

At that time, musical instruments thronging into Central China from the west regions or areas farther west, which are characterized by their rich, sensuous melody, commanded the aural pleasure of the then contemporary people.

In a poem, Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi (AD 772-846) lamented that people thought the music of guqin was dull, insipid and it did not fit to the changed taste of his time.

Last century's dramatic social and cultural changes in China have almost deprived this artistic form of the climate and soil it needs to grow.

According to Li Xiangting, an acclaimed guqin master and professor with the Beijing-based Central Conservatory of Music, after the founding of New China, there were fewer than 300 people who knew how to play guqin. And during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76), the sound of guqin had for some time been utterly silenced except for some exiled scholars who played their beloved instrument in secret.

Musicians and scholars like Li Xiangting have been trying to revive the dying tradition. Li has published a teaching VCD which spans from the basic structure of the instrument to the common finger work and several elementary tunes.

Several musical conservatories in China opened a guqin major, and old masters again enroll and teach private students at home. In many cities guqin societies have re-emerged.

Within these societies, players communicate with other guqin music lovers in a limited circle, just as their ancient counterparts did.

Although the tradition is preserved, its vein is still weak.

Because of its low volume and traditional repertoire, guqin is seldom performed with other more popular traditional Chinese instruments, such as erhu and guzheng.

From its birth some 2,500 years ago, the guzheng, a 21-stringed zither, has always been an popular entertaining instrument.

Many Chinese confuse guqin and guzheng, as the latter is so often seen on TV, in high-level restaurants and other populated areas.

Another reason for the lonesome condition of guqin is its high price. While a good-quality guzheng costs less than 1,000 yuan (US$120), an "exercise" guqin for the beginner can double or triple that of guzheng.

According to Wu Zhao, chairman of Chinese Guqin Association and retired research fellow with the Chinese Academy of Arts, several years ago, each conservatory that has a guqin major would enroll only one, at most two students in the major each year. The number is seeing a growth trend recently, however, he said, but not to a great degree.

"And almost all of these students have to change their profession after graduation, for there is actually no chance of employment for them," said Wu.

In China, Wu said, there are only two orchestras, the Beijing-based Chinese National Orchestra and the Shanghai-based Shanghai Traditional Music Orchestra, which respectively offer a single position for a guqin performer.

Time out?

The decline of guqin art has mainly resulted from two causes, according to experts. One of them is the self-absorbed nature the art requires.

"Over the long history the performers of guqin are told to concentrate exclusively on the intimate world of his/her own, and be aloof to the audience," said Wu Zhao. "But now I think the doctrine should change as time changes. The art should not only entertain the player himself/herself, but also seek to entertain others."

Most guqin musicians and researchers agree that it is time for guqin performances to move from small societies onto stage.

Actually, in recent years, the public performances of guqin have been increased notably.

Li Xiangting was among the first Chinese guqin master to hold a solo concert. That was in 1982. Since then he has played in many public occasions each year.

"I think it is very necessary for the further development of the music to let it be heard by more people," Li said.

The comparative difficulty in understanding the music is another factor that impedes guqin players in finding large numbers of fans.

"Guqin has never been a popular art even in ancient times," Li said. "It is unrealistic if we expect it to be one today."

But he added people should not be too pessimistic about today's audiences.

"Many times I can feel the audiences are touched and understand the essence of the music. The problem is we should avail them more opportunities to access it."

As for the art itself, does it need to be reformed or modified to adapt it for the mainstream taste of today?

The answer is a decisive "no."

"If we try to cater to the current tastes, we would likely lose the honesty of the art and make it vulgar. I should hate to see that happen," said Wu Zhao.

According to Wang Wenzhang, director of the Chinese Academy of Arts, the institution has launched a plan to promote the guqin for the long-term.

The plan includes sponsoring more public guqin performances in the near future to save and take advantage of the resources of old guqin masters, and to reinforce cultural education of this artistic heritage among today's youth.

(China Daily December 2, 2003)