Guqin, a seven-string zither, is one of the oldest Chinese ancient music instruments. With a history of more than 3,000 years, Guqin music has been enlisted as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2003.

Guqin is a typical representative of the essence of traditional Chinese music. Its melodies are gentle, pure and elegant, representing the Zheng (uprightness) of Confucianism, the Qing (softness) of Taoism, and He (harmony) of Buddhism.

Historically, it has been regarded as a symbol of high-class art form and was played mainly by the nobility. Before a performance, the player had to take a shower and burn incense in the room to keep his minds peaceful and concentrated. It was also believed that by doing those, the player’s heart, mind, and spirit would be in tune with nature.

As it was considered as the best instrument of expressing one’s inner world, it was always associated with bosom friends. There was a very famous story happened among Guqin and a pair of bosom friends. During the Spring and Autumn Period (770 B.C. – 476 B.C.), there was a famous musician called Yu Boya. Although good at musical instrument, he was always depressed for few people can totally understand his music. One day, He happened to meet Zhong Ziqi, a woodcutter. He understood quite well the message conveyed in Boya’s music. Thus the two became bosom friends. One year later, when Ziqi died, Boya, knowing there would be no one else to understand his music, smashed his Guqin in grief and never again played music. From then on, the term Zhiyin (literally “to know one’s music”) has come to describe a close and sympathetic friend.

Listen to a piece of the most classic Guqin tunes here.