Traditional Chinese instrument strikes chord with contemporary life

Wang Peng Photo: Beijing Daily

Within a courtyard adorned with a lotus pond, rugged rockeries and apricot trees in the southern suburban region of Beijing, a musician with a gray beard passionately plays the guqin, an ancient seven-stringed zither native to China.

For several decades, Wang Peng has dedicated himself to the art of crafting, studying and playing the traditional instrument. In fact, the guqin used in the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics was made by him.

Wang, who is now 57 years old, has also helped restore more than 100 ancient guqin, including several dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

During his time studying the craft  at the Shenyang Conservatory of Music in the 1980s, Wang developed a deep affinity for both the art of guqin and the cultured literati lifestyle that revolves around this ancient instrument.

Playing the guqin allows one to transcend into a realm of elegancy, subtlety and unworldliness, embodying virtues of moderation and impartiality, while fostering a sense of harmony and serenity, Wang said.

"It teaches me how to deal with challenges, embrace joys, handle failures and successes with calmness and patience, and always advance with a sense of ease and composure," Wang added.

Nowadays, an increasing number of Chinese youngsters are embracing traditional culture and developing a deep fascination for the art of guqin.

"Guqin helps me find inner peace," said a lawyer surnamed Ma, who had come all the way from the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen.

Ma started learning the instrument five years ago, driven by a desire to alleviate the pressures of work life and find solace in the melodies of this elegant musical instrument.

He Chao, an instructor at the studio, had his initial encounter with the guqin in 2011, when he was a sophomore majoring in horticulture. A year after his graduation, He, now 32, joined the studio as an assistant instructor.